Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Higurashi	By : WillowCarlisle Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 21294 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Kagome rose from the hard wooden packing crate to pace the beige carpeted floor of the storage room for the nineteenth time. Arms wrapped about herself, she moved from one end of the little ten by ten room to the other. The anxiety was building again, just like it had every day this past week. It was getting close to closing time. She'd been back there for nearly an hour. And it was starting to dawn on her that tonight would be that night. The night she'd have to face up to the biggest mistake of her life.
Her pacing slowed, bringing her finally to stop in front of the stock room door. Screwing up her confidence, she reached for the doorknob.
"The store will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please complete your purchases within that time. Thank you."
Startled blue eyes turned to her as she stepped into the oval area behind the cashier desk of the store. She could read the alarm in the older girl's face, and knew it for what it meant. It was this very girl, Tomoe, who'd been her angel in disguise these past eight days. From the very first day she'd taken the job at the Pachiland boutique, Tomoe had quite easily adopted her as the "second little sister she'd never had." The two were in charge of the evening shift for the upbeat, and perpetually hectic, store. They had grown so in tune with one another, Kagome often found herself finishing the other girl's sentences, and Tomoe doing pretty much the same.
One always seemed to know what the other was thinking and feeling. Which was why, on the evening of her fourth day when Amaru had discontinued his calls, and opted instead to make an appearance at her work, Tomoe had fallen readily into the position of adopted mother and body guard. She'd immediately ushered the fright-stricken Kagome into the back room to continue her "stock duty", while she braved the fiery wrath of the gods and faced off against Amaru alone.
As she did her best not to look about the store in search of that imposing figure, Kagome felt a new bout of tears coming along.
"Hey..." Tomoe whispered lowly as she moved to take her stool at the counter. "You ok?"
She nodded, smiling brightly and raising her head. "Sorry it took so long. I... didn't realize how big that last shipment was."
"No," the brunette put in, falling into their rehearsed routine. "I'm sorry. There's a lot of silk this season. Nobody can sort all of that by themselves. We'll head back there together once we're closed, ok?"
She breathed a silent sigh of relief when the girl didn't push any further.
"That sounds fine," Kagome breathed.
"How long do you think we'll need? An hour or so?"
"Well--"
"Sissy!!" a loud squeal erupted from the doorway. "Tomo-nee-chaaaaaan!!!"
A loud stampede of footsteps, followed by a giggle and a crash, announced the arrival of Tomoe's younger sister, Misuzu. The giddy little bundle of overactive energy had made it from the shop door to her sister's lap in less than three seconds. She bounced merrily in her new-found position, effectively disrupting any and all productivity the older girl may have accomplished.
"Where did you come from?" Tomoe gasped, cuddling the five year old up close. "I thought we wouldn't be seeing you until tomorrow!"
Misuzu was a miniature version of her beloved onee-chan. She stood a head taller than most girls her age, and had the brightest blue eyes and longest brown hair of any little girl Kagome had ever seen. And she was always filled with energy and laughter. Their mother would bring her to Shinjuku on a weekly basis to visit with her older sister, who'd left home and had a place of her own there.
"Mama says we have dinner tonight," Misuzu piped, smiling at Kagome and waving her hello. "We have to hurry-hurry so we won't miss the food!"
This brought out a laugh from a customer approaching the cash register. "That's my cue to leave, then," the woman smiled, placing a handful of colorful tops onto the counter. "I heard you announce the time, but there are just so many beautiful things here! I couldn't help myself."
"We're always happy to have customers like yourself," Tomoe reassured her, setting her sister down and reaching for the clothing. "There's still five minutes, and you're the last one here, so it's no trouble whatsoever."
Kagome looked down at her watch. It really was five minutes until she had to close the doors. Yutaka would be there any minute to pick her up. Lifting her head slowly, she looked around the storefront. Besides the woman at the counter, it was empty tonight. It was strange that the store would be so vacant this early in the week. Very few people passed by the lighted doorway, and fewer along the adjacent sidewalk. She frowned slightly as a shiver ran down her spine.
"There'll be a sale on winter attire next week," Tomoe was telling the woman as she handed the bags of clothing to her. "We're starting early, so tell all your friends."
"I'll do that," the customer called back as she strode toward the door. "Thank you both. Have a good night."
"Good night," the girls called in unison.
"I'll get the door!" Misuzu squealed, scurrying around the counter and rushing to the exit.
"You scared the heck out of me," Tomoe gushed, as soon as the little girl was out of earshot. "He just slipped out the door when you came back. I swear, the man's like a watch dog, or something. If it was anyone else, I'd think he was stalking you, but there's just something about him, you know? You don't get 'crazy stalker guy' when he's around. It's more like... 'over-protective boyfriend.' It's really kind of sweet, in a way, isn't it?"
Kagome turned her head away from the girl, reaching under the counter for the sales book, and opening the register. The last thing she needed to think about was how "sweet" Tomoe thought Amaru was. She hadn't lived it down yet. There was a trembling sort of pain still coursing through her at the thought of him. She'd tried not to dwell on it, but it just kept coming back. The wound had begun to feel as though it would never heal... That emotional tear just seemed to widen every time she thought about it. Even the sound of his voice made her want to cry. She could feel that binding darkness slipping closer again. And could only sit and wait for it to take her, hoping everything would just go away...
"Oh! I'm sorry, Kagome!" her friend gasped. "I forgot about... Jeez. I'm a complete moron, aren't I? Are you ok...?"
She hadn't noticed that the tears were flowing again. It was coming so naturally to her now. Like before...
No. Not like before, the thought came. Losing Inuyasha... losing everything... it never hurt as much as this...
"Miss Kagome?" Misuzu's voice called softly. "Do you wanna stay with onee-chan? We don't have to go if you don't want her to..."
She laughed lightly, smiling at the girl. "No way! You two get out of here. Yutaka is coming to get me soon. I'll be fine, I promise!"
The little girl broke into a happy smile, turning and looking expectantly up at Tomoe.
"I know I messed up this time," the older girl breathed as she drew Kagome into a hug, "but thanks. We'll put up steel bars tomorrow, ok?"
The two of them laughed.
"Go on," Kagome insisted. "See you tomorrow, Tomoe."
"See ya."
Kagome watched the two leave before turning and heading into the stock room. She grabbed her jacket from the peg by the door, and looked around for her purse. Bundling herself into her things, she switched off the back light, and pulled the door shut as she stepped back into the storefront. Checking the light switches behind the counter, she turned and made for the door.
"Centuries of much the same, and yet... it's your anger alone that unnerves me."
He seemed to materialize from thin air. The single bulb above the shop door cast a shimmering light about his features, giving him a strange unearthly glow. His head was partially angled, his eyes meeting hers from below slightly furrowed brows. The lines of his face told her nothing, but those eyes...
"We're closed," Kagome breathed, forcing the words out from an already constricted throat. "You're not supposed to be here."
He shifted slightly, and her eyes immediately went to his left hand as its long, pale fingers curled into themselves. His thumb ran languidly along the other four fingers, the hand never leaving his side. It swept back and forth along the edge of each faintly sharpened claw, rhythmically and steadily without any conscious effort. As she fought to tear her eyes away, to return her gaze to his face, it dawned on her that she'd been doing that exact same thing with her own right hand. Something inside her lit with shock that Amaru had unconsciously mimicked her nervous habit.
"What... what are you doing?" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper.
His eyes slipped downward, lifting the hand and gazing at it as though in deep thought.
"Why do you avoid me?" he asked simply, his soft tone causing her to take a step backward.
"I'm... I'm not," she denied.
The silence was almost deafening. His eyes were devouring her whole. Her breath refused to catch itself. And still, he wouldn't move.
Straightening her shoulders, and balling her fists, Kagome took a step forward. This was enough. He didn't have the right to make her feel like she was the one who had done something wrong. It was all his fault, and she wasn't going to sit there and take it anymore.
"I have to go," she proclaimed, pleased to hear that her voice was much stronger now. "The store is closed, and neither of us should be here. Plus, my ride will be here any minute. So... you have to get out of my way."
To her surprise, a faint smile curved his lips and he reached backward to open the door, allowing her to step outside. She slipped past him hurriedly, waiting for him to move before putting her key into the lock and turning it.
"There is no reason to be in such a hurry. Yutaka won't be coming tonight."
Kagome froze. It wasn't the words that did it, but the way he had said them. That self-important tone she'd once associated with him, that had been absent the entire time they'd been reacquainted. There it was again, as though it had bided its time; waiting until just this moment to rear its head and burrow under her skin.
"What did you do?" she demanded, turning on him. "Where's Yutaka?"
"The boy had business elsewhere," he replied easily, his gaze steady as he continued to watch her. "He was given permission to leave, and reassured that I would place personal effort into making certain that you were taken care of. It was the obvious course to take."
She could feel the color rising in her cheeks. "It's not up to you to make my decisions for me! You don't have that right!"
"You would have preferred to interfere with his plans?"
"That's not the point!" she nearly shouted. "I can take care of myself. I don't need you pretending you care what happens to me!"
His eyes narrowed slightly, something akin to confusion flickering in their golden depths. He took a step toward her, and she cringed backward, coming up short when her back hit the door.
"What have I done to create such hate?" he asked lowly, touching her cheek as she tried to turn her face away.
"Don't," she begged, her eyes welling with tears again. "This isn't who you are! Stop pretending you're so different now! That you don't use anyone and everyone you feel like you can control! I saw you, Sesshoumaru! I saw you kiss her!"
Her eyes flew wide at the words that slipped from her lips, her hands clasping desperately over her mouth, willing them back down her throat. But they'd been said. Out there, in the open, where she wanted them the least. He hadn't moved. Hadn't taken his hand from her cheek. But she knew somehow that he hadn't expected those words either.
"I... I mean... Oh kami..." she groaned, covering her face.
Pushing away from the door, she tried to run past him. She'd only taken a single step when she felt his arm around her. He pulled her against him, chest to chest, his head bowed and his cheek against hers.
"The cafe," he murmured, surprising her with his directness. "I'd felt you near... I should have known..."
It was so warm, there in his arms. So very warm, and so very comforting; his scent surrounding her, reminding her of that day near the lake. Kagome stifled a frustrated whimper, struggling half-heartedly against him as he continued to hold onto her.
"Let me go..." she whispered, pressing her hands against his chest.
"Perhaps," Amaru spoke calmly, guiding her slowly away from the curb. "After you've listened to what I have to say."
"I know what I saw..."
"Are you so sure, Kagome?" his voice was nearly a whispered caress as his lips brushed her ear. "If you are certain... then show me. Show me what you believe you saw, so that I may understand."
Kagome could feel herself being drawn in. Something in him was swallowing her whole. And as her eyes slid shut, her hands rising to rest against his shoulders, she didn't care that she could no longer turn back.
- 16
- 17
- 18
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Higurashi