When Two Paths Entwine

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This chapter was Co-Authored by Minni_May_Yukabara and Aurora_Nyte.

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Chapter 9: The Hardest Step To Take

~~~‘Where am I?’ Inuyasha looked around the strange room with puzzled eyes. The painted walls were peeling and the carpet beneath him was threadbare and worn, matched perfectly by the old furniture in the room. ‘What am I doing here?’ He frowned in a concentrated effort to recognise his surroundings. Suddenly, a movement beside him caught his attention. Eyes widening, he stared at the small white head of the little boy who sat beside him.

“Uncayaya!”

Inuyasha blinked as he stared in amazement at the little face. It was his brother’s but smaller. As he continued his avid inspection, the boy leaned forward and grabbed his hand. He looked down at the tiny controller that was offered to him then back at the boy, who smiled at him expectantly.

“Play Uncayaya!” An excited smile lit the small features, drawing an involuntary grin from Inuyasha.

“What are we playing?” he replied as his mind tried to make sense of the situation.

The boy’s smile broadened as he pointed to a small television that sat before them. “Youkai Chase!”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened as he looked to the screen. To the best of his knowledge, no such game existed. ‘Not in this world anyway.’ He watched in amazement as the boy expertly manoeuvred the tiny white haired youkai around the enchanted maze, wiping out enemy after enemy as he giggled hysterically at their downfall. Inuyasha found his own lips curled in amusement. He couldn’t stop the laughter that burst forth at a particularly comical face of a fallen human foe. He turned in amazement, staring at the child beside. ‘What does this mean?’ His mouth opened to form a question when suddenly, everything around him began to distort and change. He now found himself in a darkened room, looking around curiously for what he was supposed to see. He found it in the farthest corner, a shadowed figure, folded within a chair. As he slowly approached, he noticed the slight shaking of its form. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. This person was obviously a woman, and crying. ‘Why am I here? What does this mean?’ He took another step forward, hand outstretched, intent on discovering the truth. At the touch of his hand, the shaking stopped and the woman lifted her head. Inuyasha’s heart stopped when he heard her softly spoken plea.

“Siesso?”~~~

He groaned, attempting to remove the hand that shook him.

“Come on Uncle Yaya! You promised to take me to the mall today!”

Inuyasha groaned and slowly rolled over. Squashing a feeling of irritation, he smiled lazily at the young girl standing beside his bed.

“And wait… don’t tell me. I’ve slept the whole day through, right?”

Rin frowned at his sarcasm. “Practically. It’s ten o’clock already. If you don’t hurry up, we won’t have much time. You promised Uncle Yaya.”

Inuyasha chuckled. “Ok, fine. I’m up, alright?”

Rin continued to stand there, looking at him dubiously. He laughed and threw the covers off his legs, slowly lifting himself from his warm, soft pillow.

“You know brat, I could have gotten at least another hour of well needed rest, but thanks to you…”

Rin scoffed. “I don’t feel sorry for you, not one bit. If you hadn’t stayed up all night drinking then you’d be fine now.”

Before he could answer, she turned on her heels and left his room. Inuyasha shook his head, smiling at his niece’s haughty manner. Sometimes she sounded so much like his brother, it made him laugh. He walked to his wardrobe, the smile suddenly leaving his face. ‘That dream. What the hell did it mean? Does Sesshoumaru have a child?’ The thought was astounding, especially since his brother had never mentioned the fact. ‘But what else can it mean? A child that is his spitting image and calls me uncle? It can’t be anything else.’ Inuyasha knew that things like this were not mere coincidence. In this world it would be considered nothing more than a dream, but in the youkai world, it was a message. What that message was, he had no idea. A thought suddenly occurred to him. ‘Maybe Sesshoumaru doesn’t know. Surely he would’ve mentioned it if he did. Then again, it may not necessarily be now; it could be the future.’ It was all too baffling for his mind. He couldn’t understand why his brother’s child would live in such poverty.

With a sigh, Inuyasha reached into his wardrobe, absently grabbing the first thing that he touched. As he donned the faded blue jeans, his mind pondered the woman in the chair. He was certain that this was the mother of the child. A moment of frustration passed through him at the knowledge that given more time, he would have discovered her identity. His curiosity peaked, causing a thousand questions to form in his mind. Sighing, he went through the ritual of dressing, an automatic movement of his body as his mind puzzled on. ‘The only thing to do is talk to my brother. I won’t make any sense of this until I do.’ With that decided, he turned his thoughts to the day ahead. There’d be plenty to keep his mind occupied. Another sigh escaped him as he thought of the coming evening. Inuyasha grinned wryly at his reflection in the mirror. He would give anything to get out of the duty he was to perform, and a duty it was. Many people considered the ball to be a social occasion. To Inuyasha it was work, tedious, unpleasant work. All those stiff-necks that he had to bow to and chat with. The endless hours of boredom, wrapped up in speeches on matters of no importance.

A sharp knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. He grinned as he brushed his hair from his face, securing it tightly to the back of his head, the long silver strands hanging loose down his back.

“I’m almost done Rin.”

He laughed aloud at the sound of her impatient footsteps padding down the hallway. With one last inspection of his appearance, he turned towards the door, grabbing his keys from the dresser. ‘And so the day begins.’ With a smile, he walked out of his room.


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The mall was crowded with people, bustling noisily toward unknown destinations. They talked and laughed, some showing their irritation to the rest of the throng. Kagome looked at the faces around in fascination. She’d always had a love of all things living and human beings were by far the most interesting. She loved nothing more than gazing into those strange faces and creating an existence that she thought would suit them. She giggled as she played her childhood game, earning her an inquiring glance from the girl beside her. She smiled at Arin’s curious face then proceeded to push her way through the mass of people that stood watching an open exhibition of cooking.

“I’m glad you find this all amusing. I personally don’t like crowds.”

Kagome laughed at her friend’s woeful expression. “Oh come on Arin. Don’t you just love seeing all these people packed together, getting in your way, making so much noise? What could be more fun?”

Arin rolled her eyes but chose to remain quiet. Any answer would only earn her another round of teasing from the mischievous woman at her side. She was glad to see Kagome in such high spirits, even though she didn’t share them at that moment. The upcoming ball turned out to be an event that her friend was looking forward to after all. This alone surprised her. She knew how reluctant Kagome had been at the thought of accompanying the young fellow from work. She wondered what had changed.

“Oh, there it is” Kagome grabbed Arin’s hand and darted through a gap in the crowd.

They walked into a small but exclusive boutique. Both girls gasped at the exquisite gowns that were arranged gracefully on the embroidered hangers and adorned the elegant lengths of the faceless mannequins throughout.

“You certainly like leaving things ‘til the last minute, don’t you Kay?”

Kagome gave her friend a wry grin. “You know very well that I wasn’t too keen on going. I think I was trying to come up with a good reason not to.”

“And what changed your mind?” Arin asked as she absently fingered the finely spun silk of one particular gown.

Kagome sighed, her face becoming solemn. “I told you Arin, it’s time for me to move on.”

Arin turned to face her. “It doesn’t have to be this way Kay.”

Kagome looked at her then turned away, her shoulders sagging. “Arin, I know how you feel about this and I understand but…”

“Yes?”

“It’s time I get Sesshoumaru Taisho out my mind” she hesitated, looking appealingly at her friend, “for good.”

“But Kay…”

“Please Arin, this is hard enough. The man is engaged and it’s not to me. I have to accept it and move on.”

Arin’s teeth clenched in frustration. “Sometimes… things aren’t what they seem.”

Kagome looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Arin sighed, silently cursing her wayward mouth. “Nothing Kay, just that… well, maybe if he knew the truth…”

The rest of Arin’s words were lost when a sudden loud shriek filled the shop. Both girls spun around in surprise to see a very excited, dark-haired girl bounding their way. Kagome’s face broke into a huge smile as Rin threw her arms around her, giggling excitedly.

“Wow I can’t believe you’re here Kagome.” Rin turned, waving to her uncle. “Uncle Yaya! I’m over here!”

Kagome bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her laughter. Her boss’s expression was almost her undoing.

“Rin, how many times have I told you not to call me that?” Inuyasha’s teeth gritted at Kagome’s amused expression. “Seems that I can’t get away from you, can I?”

“Yes Uncle Yaya.” Kagome couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

“Very funny,” he smirked. “So what are you doing here? Getting a dress for the ball?”

“You know about that?” Kagome looked up at him in surprise.

This time it was Inuyasha’s turn to laugh. “We’re on the official guest’s list. Didn’t you realise?”

Kagome suddenly felt breathless. ‘Of course, why didn’t I think of that? How stupid of me. And that means that…’

Inuyasha watched his assistant’s face with interest. Her colour seemed to suddenly seep away, her expression one of shock. He wondered why their attendance would cause her so much distress.

“Are you okay Kagome?” Rin grabbed the older girl’s hand in concern.

Kagome blinked, realising how ridiculous she must appear to them. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I just remembered something I’d forgotten.”

Inuyasha was intrigued and found himself wanting to discover the source of her anxiety. “Why don’t we go and have a coffee. You look like you could do with one.”

Before she could disagree, Kagome found her hand clasped in Rin’s smaller one as she was dragged from the boutique. Her brain was scrambling to sort through its thoughts and she couldn’t find any words of protest. With a sigh, she followed resignedly behind the young girl.

Inuyasha grinned as he watched her reluctant acceptance. He knew only too well what it was to be trapped by Rin’s forceful nature. Turning back to the young woman who accompanied his assistant, he smiled and held out his hand.

“Hi, I’m Inuyasha.”

Arin grinned and shook his hand. “You’re Kagome’s boss. I’m her friend, Arin.”

Inuyasha looked more closely at the girl, finding her familiar somehow. “Have we met before?”

Arin’s heart jumped but her expression held. “I’m not sure. You may have seen me when I picked Kagome up from work.”

“Maybe.”

Inuyasha frowned uncertainly. He was sure that that it was elsewhere, but where he couldn’t remember. He suddenly smiled and offered her his arm.

“Would you care to join us for coffee?”

Arin gave him a grin as she accepted, relieved that he’d let the matter drop. She walked quietly beside him towards the coffee shop where Rin and Kagome sat waiting.

Inuyasha noticed the expression that passed quickly over her features and wondered again who she was. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t come up with the memory. He sat beside his niece and continued to study the woman Arin, covertly of course. ‘It’ll come to me.’ He turned his attention to the waitress and waited until all the orders were placed.

“So I take it that you’re going to the ball too, right?” He looked enquiringly at Kagome.

“Yes I am.” Kagome gave him a tight smile, hesitant to speak of her date.

Inuyasha glanced at her keenly, fully aware of her reluctance. “So who’s taking you?”

Kagome’s teeth clenched as she tried to cover her ire. ‘Damn you Inuyasha’ she cursed him silently, unsure exactly why his inquiry bothered her so much. ‘It’s not as if I have something to hide or anything.’

“I’m going with an old friend of mine from the office. His name is Hojo.”

“You know Hojo?” Inuyasha was suddenly curious.

“Yeah, we went to the same university.”

Kagome’s discomfort grew as his interest increased. She pushed aside the image of Sesshoumaru that suddenly invaded her mind, bracing herself for Inuyasha’s next question. It never came. Before he could speak, Rin grabbed Kagome’s hand, pointing excitedly at the crowd.

“Look Kagome! That woman over there, she looks just like you!”

They all turned, looking at the crowd behind them curiously. However, they didn’t see anyone who resembled Kagome in the slightest.

“There!” Rin insisted excitedly, “Behind that group of boys! She’s pushing a stroller!”

Kagome’s face paled as realisation dawned. ‘Oh shit’ was the only thing her brain could produce as she looked at Arin in horror. She watched as her friend’s face took on a look of shock. ‘What do we do?’ she mouthed the silent appeal. She was surprised by the sudden change in her friend’s expression and the swift motion with which she stood.

“Oh look, it’s my friend Lei. I’ll be back in a second.” Arin raced into the crowd, hoping to reach her target before disaster struck.

Inuyasha frowned as he watched her race away. He looked back at Kagome, noting her ashen features, and wondered again what the hell was up with her. She seemed to be very nervous about something. Rin was still looking for the Kagome twin and missed the look on the older girl’s face, but Inuyasha took in everything. The nervous way that she looked back at the crowd, and the fidgeting fingers, were both a clear indication of her discomfort.

“Oh!” The sound of Rin’s disappointed cry grabbed their attention and they both turned to her at once. “She’s gone!”

“Oh well, never mind. Maybe we’ll see her later.” Kagome almost melted into the seat in relief, smiling brightly instead at the two before her.

Inuyasha noted the change. ‘What the hell’s going on?’ He would be certain to keep a closer eye on his assistant from now on.


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Kikyou smiled at the young woman as she approached. “Arin, thank goodness. Where’s Kagome? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Arin gave her a wry grin. “And it’s a good thing that you didn’t find us.”

“What?” Kikyou asked in puzzlement.

“We’re having coffee with Inuyasha Taisho and his niece, you know, Sesshoumaru’s daughter?”

Kikyou gasped. “Oh shit.”

“Oh yeah.” Arin replied, grabbing the girl’s arm and steering her around. “I think we’d better get you out of here before something happens.”

She smiled at Ryu as she herded them towards the nearest exit.


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The loud ring of the telephone brought a groan from beneath the tangled sheets. A hand reached out to grope along the top of the nightstand, knocking over several objects until it finally grabbed the receiver.

“Hello,” the muffled greeting could barely be heard on the other end of the line.

“Cyn?”

Cynthia sighed and shoved the sheets off her. “Hello Sango. What can I do for you?”

Sango’s laughter rang in her ears. “Overdo it, did you?”

“Just slightly.”

“So how did Inuyasha fare?”

Cyn chuckled. “I’d say that he would feel like crap today.”

“So… did anything interesting happen?”

She scoffed at the question she’d been expecting. “Nothing, you hentai.”

Sango giggled. “Oh come on Cyn. The two of you were getting on like a house on fire.”

Cynthia laughed as she rose from the bed and padded towards the kitchen. “Yeah, and like every burning building, it sizzled out.”

“What?” Sango voice was incredulous. “What happened?”

“Oh nothing,” Cyn replied innocently as she scooped sugar into a mug. “Let’s see, we started out on jokes and ended up whining about our miserable love lives. He was pining for some woman named Angel and I was wailing about all my failed relationships. So, how’s that?”

“Oh Cyn, I don’t believe you.” Exasperation was evident in Sango’s voice.

Cynthia laughed. “What do you want me to do. The guy’s great San but… let’s face it, I’m sexually dead. We both know that.”

She smiled as she listened to her friend’s raucous laughter. Her state of lovelessness, as Sango liked to refer to it, was a constant joke between them.

“Well, that’s probably a good thing for the poor male creature. I don’t think he’d survive a night with you.”

“Oh thanks.” Cyn laughed, shaking her head. “What do you want anyway?”

“I was just making sure that you didn’t sleep in. We’ve got a pretty big day ahead of us.”

“Oh, and you thought that I’d forget, right?” Cyn walked carefully towards the lounge room, balancing the full cup of coffee.

“Well, I thought you’d be too busy having fun to remember.”

“Yeah, right. Dream on Sango.”

Sango laughed again. “I’ll pick you up at three. We need to go over the plans.”

Cynthia sighed. “Sure, I’ll be ready. See you then.”

She put down the receiver and stared into space, all thoughts on the coming evening. She wasn’t looking forward to it at all. In all the years she’d worked as an agent, she’d never come across a group such as the one they were currently investigating. The whole business gave her the creeps. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she headed towards the bathroom. ‘I’ll feel much better after a shower.’


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Sesshoumaru rifled through the documents in front of him, sighing in irritation. ‘Why does nothing make sense?’ He finally located the paper he needed, eyes narrowing as he reread the text. ‘Who the hell is making all these purchases?’ He looked at his desk, at the papers littered across it. ‘So many dead ends.’ No matter where they looked, nothing could be found. The better part of the previous day was spent interrogating everyone that had anything to do with the mysterious purchases. They finished with the stock controller, who had no idea of when the purchases were placed, or who had placed them. He insisted that many people came to his office and often left things while he was attending matters elsewhere. In total, nine orders had been placed mysteriously in the last four months, costing the company an estimated two and a half million dollars. Sesshoumaru was stunned at the thought that all this had gone on without anybody’s knowledge; not himself, his brother or any of the executives that worked for them. With a tired sigh, he rubbed his eyes, feeling completely exhausted. He still had tonight to get through and he was not looking forward to it. Having to endure the company of Yura and Naraku, whilst knowing that they were the ones responsible for all his problems, was more than he could stomach. However, he had no choice. As head of a major company, your responsibilities were unavoidable. Sesshoumaru’s teeth clenched as he thought of the huge price paid for those responsibilities, all that he was missing in order to do his duty. His mind strayed to a place that seemed like heaven.

For a moment, he allowed himself to bask in the memories of his short trip to paradise. Unbelievable moments of ecstasy, spent in the arms of the most incredible woman he’d ever met. A smile crept to his lips as he remembered the pranks that Kay played on him that weekend. He could picture her running madly through the foamy waves, and laughing hysterically as she tried to escape his revenge. His chest tightened at the memory of her sitting on his lap, feeding him strawberries and lapping away the cream from the corner of his mouth. They’d ended up back in bed, and he had loved every minute of it. His mind wondered back to the moment when he’d first woken to find her in his arms. He’d been slightly disorientated to find his face buried in soft tresses of dark hair. He smiled as he lost himself to the past.

~~~His eyes fluttered open slowly. The incredible scent was coming from the warm body pressed against his own. He blinked at the curtain of black hair that greeted his eyes and pulled back dazedly to stare at the figure beside him. The events of the previous night came back in a flash. He remembered the heated moments spent on the lounge room floor. His heartbeat quickened and his blood heated instantly. Taking a deep breath, he brought himself under control. He had no idea how the little spitfire would react this morning but he wasn’t about to get caught in an awkward state.

On queue, she stirred. He struggled to contain his desire as she stretched her body languorously, rubbing against him in all the right places. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on keeping his breathing even. When he felt her stiffen, he held his breath, waiting for the hysterics to begin. He was surprised when she turned slowly to look at him, wearing a gentle expression on her calm face. His breath came in a hiss as she leaned forward to gently rub her lips to his.

“Good morning,” she smiled at him shyly.

He couldn’t stop the grin that made its way to his lips. “Good morning to you.”

He brushed his lips against hers, a thrill running through him when she responded. He pulled her close, threading his fingers through her hair as his mouth moved gently over hers. He placed soft kisses from one corner of her mouth to the other before finally parting her lips to receive the heated stroke of his tongue. She moaned softly, fanning his desire further.

Sesshoumaru pulled back and looked down at the woman who’d managed to break his self-control. What was it about her that set him on fire? They had detested each other on sight, and it wasn’t her great skill as a lover that heated his blood. Although she’d been wonderfully receptive, last night was the first time she’d given herself to a man; and her innocence was evident in more ways than one. Which led him to the question that had baffled him for hours the night before.

“You were a virgin. Why? Why did you allow me…?”

He paused when he saw the blush that stained her cheeks. She tried to avert her face but he held her still.

“Kay, look at me.” He waited until her eyes returned to his. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because…” she took a deep breath before continuing, “because I didn’t want you to stop.”

A thousand emotions flooded through him at her admission but he continued to gaze steadily into her eyes, waiting for her to finish.

“I’ve never…” she paused, as though searching for the right words, “really wanted to… to…”

“Make love” he supplied with a grin, watching her cheeks flood with colour.

She lowered her eyes and nodded. “This is the first time I wanted to… make love with anyone.”

Sesshoumaru swallowed, attempting to slow his rapidly beating heart. Her words were having the most unusual effect on him. His chest tightened painfully and he suddenly found it hard to breathe. He slowly lowered his head, his mouth stroking hers gently before whispering against her parted lips.

“And I have never wanted to make love with anyone as much as I do with you.”

His lips opened hungrily over hers, their tongues stroking heatedly as their bodies pressed closer together. He rolled them over until he was lying between her thighs, his aching manhood rubbing against her moist centre. Her soft hands skimmed his sides as she wrapped her legs around him, causing greater friction to his throbbing shaft. Sesshoumaru groaned and deepened the kiss, his tongue stroking in a motion that matched his thrusting hips. The pleasure built inside him and he quickly pulled back before all his control was gone. Ignoring the moan of disappointment that left Kay’s lips, he trailed open-mouthed kisses down her neck, making a path towards breasts. As much as he wanted to take her right now, he suddenly had an overwhelming need to pleasure her first. He teased her skin with soft feathery kisses, making a slow path around her nipple. Her ragged breathing deepened as he gently skimmed the erect peak with his tongue. His other hand mimicked the motion, teasing her other breast. She moaned loudly as he sucked the nipple into his mouth, curling his tongue around it. He stroked the taut bud again and again as he manipulated the other with his fingers. He slowly made his way to the other nipple, lavishing the same excruciating treatment upon it.

Kay’s loud moans were making his blood boil. He moved quickly back to her mouth, his tongue thrusting hungrily against hers, his fingers trailing slowly and sensuously down her stomach. He felt her muscles tense and heard her gasp of pleasure when his fingers brushed against her heated core. His breathing was as heavy as hers when his finger slid inside her wet folds to slowly stroke the aching mass of nerves within. Her moans increased with his pace, her hips lifting to meet each thrust of his hand. The heat grew inside him until finally, his control shattered. He removed his finger and grabbed her thighs, spreading them wide as he positioned himself for entry. Her breathing was as erratic as his own, and she grabbed his shoulders, arching desperately into him. With a deep moan, Sesshoumaru thrust into her, shuddering with pleasure as her legs wrapped around him. Her hot, tight passage squeezed his manhood, leaving him breathless. He pulled back slowly and thrust into her, a moan escaping them both. His mouth covered hers as their bodies began to rock, their tongues sliding together in desperate need.~~~

A hiss of breath filled the silence as he stood abruptly from his chair.

“What the hell are you doing Sesshoumaru?” he asked himself angrily as he sought to quell the rising heat in his body. “This isn’t helping!”

He struggled constantly with his thoughts of Kagome. She was there in his mind always, wherever he went, whatever he did. He couldn’t seem to keep her out his head. ‘And fantasising about her only makes it worse.’

He paced his office floor restlessly, like a caged tiger, eager for freedom. At times like this, he felt like giving in to his feelings and taking Kagome as his. His pacing stopped abruptly, to leave him staring emptily at his reflection in the glass window. He knew that no matter how much as he longed to be with her, it wasn’t possible. If it was only a matter of the company, he’d say to hell with it and give the whole charade away. Unfortunately, there was much more at stake. He couldn’t take the risk, even to be with her. He returned to his seat, sinking hopelessly into its soft leather. ‘No, I can’t because she too would be in danger’. Taking a deep breath, he strengthened his resolve to see his duties through. Maybe then, if God was willing, he could have what his heart craved the most.


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Kagome stared unseeingly into the mirror, hands wringing in agitation. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”

Arin and Kikyou sighed. They’d spent the entire afternoon trying to convince her that her decision to attend the ball was a good one. She’d fluctuated back and forth, from steady determination to shrinking horror. The soothing words of wisdom continued as she dressed and haltingly prepared for the big event. It was now a half hour until her date was due to arrive and she was again, suffering another bout of uncertainty.

Arin looked at her sympathetically. “Kay, I know that you’re nervous but you can do this. You can.”

Kagome’s panic-stricken face looked back at her through the mirror. “But he’s going to be there Arin… with her.”

Kikyou stepped forward and draped an arm over her cousin’s shoulders. “It’s like I said before Kay, this is probably for the best. If you’re determined to stick with your decision, well… I guess it’s best that you accept them as a couple and get used to it. You’ll have to face them, sooner or later.”

Kagome took a deep breath. She knew the wisdom of Kikyou’s words but it still didn’t quell the sharp pain that lodged itself in her breast at the thought of Sesshoumaru and Yura. How was she to spend a whole night watching them together and behave as if everything was normal. She felt as though she couldn’t breathe and she hadn’t even left home yet. Again she struggled with her emotions, knowing that it was too late now to change her mind. Squaring her shoulders, she looked bravely at the two women behind her.

“I guess it’s time I stop being a coward, huh?”

Arin raised a brow as she looked at her friend. “You know how I feel Kay.”

Kagome frowned and sat on the chair beside her. “Arin, you know I can’t do that. I can’t mess up his life now. It’s just not right.”

Arin shook her head and stood to leave. Kagome watched her retreating figure with a guilty look on her despondent face. Kikyou smiled gently and reached out to stroke her cousin’s hair.

“It’s okay honey, you have to do what you think is right. You’re the one who has to live with the consequences. Well…” she paused in thought, “you and Ryu, I guess.”

Kikyou leaned down and placed a kiss on Kagome’s head before leaving the room in search of her nephew. As she walked away, Kagome thought of her words. What did her decision mean for him? She had been so caught up in the ethics of it all that she hadn’t given much thought to her son’s need for a father. ‘Now I don’t know what’s right and what’s not anymore. Who suffers? Sesshoumaru or Ryu?’ She felt tears gathering in her eyes and stood quickly, blinking to dispel them. ‘No, I’m not going to cry.’ She’d spent hours on her appearance and didn’t feel like repairing any damage. ‘Pull yourself together Kagome. You’re going to get through this night then you can think carefully about your decision.’ With a nod, she turned to the mirror again, not paying any real attention to it. She jumped when she heard the knock at the front door. A quick glance at the clock showed her that Hojo was early. Her heart gave a lurch as she heard Ryu’s giggle and quick footsteps down the hall. It baffled her that her son could sprint so quickly when he’d barely managed to master walking. She raced from her room, catching the squealing bundle before he reached his target. His pealing laughter rang clearly through the apartment, and Kagome tried to hush him as she marched back to her room. Kikyou was there to take him and laughed as he squirmed in her arms.

“Oh no you don’t.” She caught him in a playful hug and dragged towards the bed.

Kagome quickly shut the door, making her exit while he was still distracted. Ryu seemed to have a sixth sense for things and always knew when she was going somewhere other than work. She heard another knock and hurried down the hall, slowing to catch her breath before opening the door. She smiled at Hojo, who looked as though he was preparing himself to enter. She quickly stepped forward and closed the door behind her.

“I’m ready to go.”

Hojo blinked in surprise. He had hoped that he could go inside as he had something to give her. As he looked at the sparkly material of her red dress, he knew he’d picked well. ‘I guess I’ll give it to her in the limo.’ He held out his arm and waited for her to take it.

“Did I hear a child before?” he asked as they walked down the stairs and exited the building.

Kagome was glad of the dark as she was certain her blush would’ve made him suspicious. “Ah… yeah. My cousin is babysitting for a friend of hers.”

“Are they attending the ball too?” Hojo led her to the car and helped her in, following quickly behind her.

“Uh… no. They went to an engagement party, I think.”

Kagome sank back into the seat, wondering again if it was a mistake to give Hojo her address. ‘What if he drops by one day and sees Ryu?’

“Kagome?” she turned to see Hojo looking at her expectantly. “I have something to give you.”

She blinked in surprise as he pulled out a small velvet box. ‘Oh no, what has he bought me?’ Although she’d made the decision to get on with her life, she wasn’t ready for any commitments.

“Ah Hojo… I don’t think I should take this.”

“Please Kagome, I’d really like you to have it.” He held the small box out towards her, snapping it open and watching her eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh no… no I can’t.” Her eyes ran over the sparkling trinket, a spray of tiny glittering diamonds attached to delicate silver chain. “This is too much Hojo.”

“Please?” he looked pleadingly into her eyes. “It’s perfect for you.”

He saw her look of uncertainty and knew where her reluctance stemmed from. “Look Kagome, this is nothing more than a gift, okay? I’m not expecting anything in return, so… please take it.”

Kagome looked at him once more, still unsure if she should accept. However, the woeful expression he wore made her feel bad.

“Okay Hojo. I’ll accept it, even though I feel funny about taking something so extravagant from you. I just don’t want you to get the wrong impression, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Hojo struggled to keep his voice neutral, telling himself that this is what he’d expected. “Would you like me to put it on for you?”

Kagome nodded and turned so he could do so. “Thank you Hojo.”

“It’s my pleasure Kagome.” He reached up to unclasp the chain she wore and handed it to her, “Here.”

“My grandfather gave me this,” she felt a need to fill the awkward silence that fell between them. “He told me never to take it off. He’s very superstitious and believes that this will protect me always.”

“Well, I’m sure he won’t mind for one night.”

Kagome smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed by her babbling. She could sense his disappointment and felt guilty about it. She knew that Hojo had had a crush on her since she first met him. Although she found his company pleasant, she’d never felt more for him than friendship. Now as she glanced at his set profile, she wondered if she’d made another mistake. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but she couldn’t allow him to get any false impressions. ‘Well it’s too late now’ she thought resignedly. ‘I may as well just concentrate on the night ahead.’ She almost groaned as she remembered what she was to face. ‘Great, this is going to be one hell of a night.’


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AN: Hi guys! I bet you’ve all been wondering what the hell happened to me. Well you see, there were these aliens and… (dodges the various missiles hurled her way). Just kidding. Unfortunately, it’s nothing as exciting as that. A bit of a health scare is all, and well… it took me a couple of months to get past it. I’m finally picking up now and slowly sorting through the chaos that’s left. So… I’m back and the abuse can begin. (giggles madly)

I just wanted to let you all know that I won’t be adding the skits anymore. There’s been a lot of change on some of the sites, and many requests made. I’ve decided to run the skits as a separate posting on their own.

Well people, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for bearing with me. I know the wait was long and you’ve all been wonderfully kind about it. I’m looking forward to hearing from you all again.
‘Til next time.
Babs