SM: Been a while. One would expect taking this much time for one chapter that the chapter would be exceptional. Well, I deign to differ! Mostly, this sat on my harddrive in disjointed scenes until I attempted to glue them together. It's holding together okay. Just once last shove to get it posted. Boy, this chapter was difficult, and it was only the second one. I lack perseverance.
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Chapter Two
Alone.
Alone.
Always alone. Things would never change for her. They couldn't. And no one would want them to change. This is what she deserved.
Kagome looked down at her hands. Her skin, so pale, so white. Thin and translucent. Even after all the time spent in Naraku's care, her flesh had not once taken on a darker hue. She remained ghostly and waiflike.
She was a wisp of existence, soon to be forgotten once she had served her purpose.
Her shoulders hunched slightly as her ears discerned the soft, steady footsteps of the Kumo. He was coming for her again. She knew that he brought with him exquisite foods designed to bring her about a state of health. Already, she had regained much weight, her appearance filling out into it's natural curves, but her eyes remained blank and lifeless.
She turned slightly as he entered, not bothering to turn on any lights. She preferred the darkness, and he worked well within it.
Naraku sat down on the edge of the bed, a tray in his lap. He beckoned to her, and she went, kneeling at his feet, her hands folded into her lap, as was the routine.
Fine-boned fingers delicately lifted an orange slice from the plate, he held it out for her. She bent her head, docile and silent, taking the slice between her lips. Her expression was blank as his was satisfied. She was his pet. He would treat her as such.
"Hurry now, little one. We don't have much time."
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Fingers tapped impatient on the wood as he waited on the phone for the line to be picked up. So many months, and still nothing? How long could that boy hold a grudge! Inuyasha frowned. It had been partially his fault he supposed, trying to goad the boy into doing something he obviously did not want to do: i.e. work with Sesshoumaru. But shouldn't that genius see the necessity of the situation?
They needed one another, not just for their sake either, but for Kagome's. She would have wanted them to help each other, but Shippou was being stubborn. Shippou hated Sesshoumaru with a passion, and ever since Inuyasha had aligned himself with his brother, the red-head had barely spoken to him.
He sighed. Really, it was getting them no where. He was sure that Shippou had dug up some information on Naraku. If only they could compare notes, they were bound to have a better idea of Kagome than they did now.
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Silk slid easily over her satiny skin. She held herself still, allowing the other to dress her. She could feel the appraising eyes as she stood for him. He smiled, she didn't.
"You mustn't be like this, Kagome." He purred, his voice deceptively low. "In order for this to work, you must act as I say, and do as I command. Obey my words, and everything will work out. Understand?"
She nodded.
"Good girl." He patted her lightly on the head. "Smile, Kagome." He grinned.
Her lips curled upward. He pouted. "No, I want you to smile."
Kagome hesitated. She almost jumped when she felt hands on her waist, and berated herself mentally. She should be used to his touches by now, but she couldn't help it. Each motion, every touch, felt so cold and calculated, there were no emotions behind them at all. Arms snaked around her waist, and she was pulled against the body of her captor. Her yielding body molded easily to his. She cringed at his triumphant smirk.
Though she had given herself over to him and would not fight his advances, she wouldn't encourage them either. She gave a small whimper at the way he held her. It was too familiar, too painful in her memory, and he knew it. "Smile." He murmured, lowering his head to whisper into her ear.
She let out a small gasp when she felt his lips descend onto her neck.
"Smile." His whispered, his voice slightly harsher.
And even if he couldn't see it from where he had his mouth planted onto her throat, he knew a pained smile had crossed her lips. Naraku grinned.
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"The gala…" Shippou trailed off, staring at the invitation in his hand. He had almost forgotten this year's event. It was an annual affair, hosted by one of the three corporations each year. This coming year it was the Kumo's turn. As much as Shippou would have liked to miss the event, but he could not, attendance was mandatory for the heads of each corporation.
His mind shifted absently to the phone call he had received a few weeks ago. Houjo Akimichi and Ookami Kouga…they were two men he had never expected to hear from or even see ever again. He had barely remembered them from their past meeting, his mind too focused on Kagome. But, once again, she had brought them together. He had listened to them, had learned how they had found her, cared for her, and then had her slip from their fingers, much like himself. He understood and didn't blame them at all for not contacting him. He would have done the same in their position.
Now, he had two contacts that would be able to inform him somewhat of Kagome, as Kouga was not so much a distant errand boy to the spider, but someone which his underlings liked to torment. Not only that, but Naraku was a braggart. Surely, whatever his confident ego spewed would fall upon gossiping ears, and eventually to his contacts. They would be useful. But more importantly, they cared about Kagome.
Shippou had not yet shared with them the circumstances surrounding Kagome and her condition, but they cared enough about her to work with him without too many questions. After all, they all shared the same goal, they wanted to protect her.
She needed their help, and he only hoped that she would see it. She wasn't a burden, but Shippou no longer had any ideas on how to convince her of that. Psychology was never something he specialized in. He learned from observation and deduction. Any information that fell within his grasp was kept in his steel trap of a mind. He would figure out a way to take Kagome back.
Naraku would try to use her to gain control of both the Akatsune and Taisho corporations, that he knew. How it would happen would only take a matter of time to figure out. One thing for sure, Naraku would show off Kagome. It would have to be in a public setting where the one who wanted her could see her but not touch her. It would be the gala. And Sesshoumaru would be there.
His lips curled, fingers crushing the fragile paper of his invitation. At least he had one up on that dog at the moment. He was more concerned over her safety than what Sesshoumaru would try to do. The man would suffer seeing her again.
But for now, he had the gala to think about. It had been weeks since he had received his invite and the gala was in two nights. His preparations had already been made ahead of time, so he didn't have much to worry about except what he would be wearing. He'd just throw on the same suit as last year. The fact that he spent most of his time in the shadows of the event, despite being a corporate head, meant that not many people would notice him. Besides, he always had a proxy with him to act as the head.
Not many of their stockholders actually had a clue as to what he truly looked like. Most of the time, they assumed he was the son of one of the executives, and he was fully ready to allow them to think so. The fewer that recognized his face, the better.
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Sesshoumaru stood outside of the entrance to the shrine. He had taken almost an hour to climb the stairs, hesitation weighting his feet until his pace had slowed to nothing but a crawl. But it had been months with hardly a lead. His search could not continue like this, and with Inuyasha being alienated for coming to his side, he knew he had to make amends no matter how unwilling the Higurashi's would be.
His hand floated in front of the door for a full five minutes before he rapped lightly on the aged wood. He heard the light, quick pattering of feet coming toward the door, and dreaded the person opening it. He heard the small childish voice calling back 'I'll get it,' before he was fully able to brace himself for the sudden opening of the door, and the young round face that was too familiar turn to greet him.
The boy recoiled almost immediately and screamed for his 'Kikyou-ba-chan.'
She came running, her eyes widening similarly to the boy's upon seeing their visitor. Sesshoumaru said nothing. Her eyes hardened, her expression turning steely in an instant.
"May I help you?" She greeted coldly. She hadn't hated the man before, even after all he had done. He had merely been mistaken, a flaw in his distrustful nature. It was the fact that he was willing to abandon his own kin, his son, that she disliked.
Hoshimaru, despite his strengths and maturity for his youth, was a delicate creature. Sesshoumaru could have at least made some attempts to visit his son during his search. She knew that Shippou would have loathed the idea, but Sesshoumaru was Hoshimaru's father. Their personal opinions of Sesshoumaru shouldn't cloud the relationship between kin. It wouldn't be fair to Hoshimaru.
Her arms encased the boy in her protective embrace as she glared at the man. Why now, after all this time, would he come visit.
Sesshoumaru's eyes, trained on the boy, snapped up to meet the woman's gaze. He could see the slight irritation flash through her normally patient gaze.
Sesshoumaru remained silent for a moment, unsure how to begin. "I'd like to speak with you, if I may." He said quietly.
"About?" Her curt tone were terse even to her own ears.
Golden eyes shifted toward the silent silver-haired child before returning to meet cold brown orbs.
"I see." She replied. She bent down, turning the child to face her. "Hoshimaru, want to go to Souta's room for a bit? I think he has a new game he wouldn't mind showing you."
Hoshimaru shot Sesshoumaru a sideways glance before giving a tremulous nod to his aunt. Then her scrambled from her arms and up the stairs.
When they heard the door shut from the upstairs, Kikyou turned her gaze to Sesshoumaru. "After so many months, you return now to talk about Hoshimaru? Has the search for Kagome truly been so intense? Or have you simply given up already?" She asked scathingly.
Kikyou knew she shouldn't be taking out her frustration on the man, but she couldn't help herself. Yes, things may have been tense between the Higurashi family and Sesshoumaru, but it was inexcusable for a father to neglect his son.
Hoshimaru, already missing one parent, should at least have the comfort of the other.
"I was hoping to have a talk with him." Sesshoumaru said quietly.
"About Kagome?" Kikyou inquired.
"And other things." He added.
Kikyou stared at him. Well, Sesshoumaru no doubt wanted to speak with Hoshimaru, probably to explain himself. The child didn't have the slightest inkling that they were father and son, and even if he did, how was Sesshoumaru to explain his absence from the child's life without scarring him?
Sesshoumaru had hurt Kagome in such terrible ways. His presence alone caused Kagome to flee in the opposite direction. And it was him directly that had caused both her first and second disappearances.
"I am not hoping to kinder filial piety within him, nor play on his emotions." Sesshoumaru explained. "I would simply like to introduce myself in a way that he will find acceptable and be able to...spend time in the future with him."
Was that so? Kikyou shook her head. "It is not up to me. You'll have to talk to Hoshimaru. If he wants to spend time with you, then we'll allow it. But only if that's what he wants." She waved her hand up the stairs. "I'm sure you know where to find him."
She swept past him with an impatient air. It was about time he showed up, even if it was without news of Kagome. Hoshimaru needed the kind of comfort only that parents could provide. Still, she would have liked to have heard something from her younger sister. She worried that it would be several years before they met again. She couldn't bear that.
She hoped that Kagome was safe, wherever she was…
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Sesshoumaru ascended the stairs slowly. He heard the sounds of a video game from Souta's door, and knocked.
The door was answered by a surprised Souta. His expression quickly soured into a scowl. "Whatcha want?" He demanded, not bothering to hide the dislike in his tone.
"To speak with Hoshimaru." Sesshoumaru replied.
Souta's frown deepened. There was no way that Sesshoumaru could have come up unless Kikyou had allowed it. To refuse Sesshoumaru would probably infuriate Kikyou.
He shot a quick glance at the small child seated before his TV. "Five minutes." He ground out, brushing past Sesshoumaru rudely.
Sesshoumaru bit his tongue against retaliation. There had once been a time when the young boy had looked upon him with awe and slight fear. But now, he was allowing himself to be pushed around by the youth. He knew he shouldn't stand for it, at least allow himself a shred of dignity about it. However, he was too busy wallowing in self-pity to care much. At the moment, he was trying to make amends as best he could.
He stepped inside the room and closed to door behind him.
"Hoshimaru." He called out softly.
The child turned. Eyes, large and glassy widened. His mouth pulled inward, tiny teeth chewing on his bottom lip. A habit he no doubt learned from his mother.
"I'd just like to speak with you if I may." Sesshoumaru said slowly.
A jerky nod was his reply.
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Downstairs, the phone began to ring. Kikyou, who had started making dinner, lowered the heat on the stove and picked it up.
"Higurashi residence." She answered.
"Kikyou?" A voice asked.
"Inuyasha." She replied. "It's been a while." She murmured.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that, but it's been pretty rough these last few weeks. I…I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me dropping by later. I wanna see how the squirt's been doing and also talk about…y'know…" He trailed off.
"Of course." She replied, understanding what Inuyasha meant. Apparently, he still hadn't been able to talk to Shippou, nor make much progress in finding Kagome. It didn't make much sense to her how Kagome could just disappear like that again, with two powerful companies actively searching for her. Still, her younger sister had always been clever at hiding.
"I just started dinner. Come by whenever you like." She invited.
"Thanks. I'll see you later." He replied, hanging up.
Kikyou stared at the receiver. She hadn't told him about Sesshoumaru being over as well. She hung it up. It didn't matter, he was sure to find out sooner or later.
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"Shippou-nii-san doesn't like you." Hoshimaru stated with a frown.
"Yes, I know." Sesshoumaru replied softly.
"I don't like you either." Hoshimaru said, clutching his pillow closer toward him.
An emotion akin to despair knifed through Sesshoumaru's chest. Yes, he had truly been a fool, and now, it seemed everyone had forsaken him. He was truly alone. His head bowed, defeated.
"I understand." He said, his voice coming out as more of a croak.
What could he possibly have thought in coming here? As similar as they were in looks, he had never been there for the child. To the boy, he was nothing but a stranger. He wasn't the boy's father. He had only sired the child, and obviously the boy felt no connection toward him. Why would he? Sesshoumaru had almost killed him, unintentionally.
But he had abused Kagome, broken her to such a point...he deserved it. He knew he deserved it, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
He left the room, finding Souta just outside the door, arms crossed. He glared at Sesshoumaru a moment before walking past him into his own room and closing the door behind him. Sesshoumaru left Higurashi wordlessly.
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When Inuyasha came over he found Hoshimaru, curled up on his bed in the dark of his little room. Kikyou had said that he had been in there all afternoon. The poor thing was sobbing quietly into his pillow.
"Maru-chan?" He called out, using the nickname he had given the boy, after one of his favorite brands of ramen.
Hoshimaru stilled.
"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, concerned. The boy was overly mature for his age, but he was still a child, and would cry over some of the smallest things. This, however, appeared different.
"Yasha-ji-san?" Hoshimaru stared at his uncle with wide eyes, almost fearfully.
Inuyasha sat down on the bed, cradling the boy in his lap. "What is it, squirt? Why're you fussing like this?" He said, giving the boy a playful nudge.
Hoshimaru frowned and hunched his shoulders. Inuyasha gave an inaudible sigh. He'd have to wait it out. The boy would tell him when he was ready. He held his nephew, listening to the quiet hiccups and sniffles. Eventually, his sobs died down, and the tiny tremors stopped running through his small body. His breath evened out, and he was just clutching a pillow tightly to his chest, resting his head against his uncle's shoulder.
"Yasha-ji-san, I'm going to hell." The boy said softly.
Inuyasha started. Where'd the kid get an idea like that? He chuckled. "No, you aren't bad enough, Maru-chan. You play by the rules too much. You're a good kid."
Hoshimaru shook his head. "No." He said, his childish voice taking on a seriousness that was difficult to find in most adults. "I did something bad today."
"Oh?" Inuyasha asked curiously. "What did you do?"
"I told a lie." He admitted quietly.
Inuyasha frowned. This would be a tad difficult to explain. "That's not too bad, Maru-chan. Lies aren't a good thing but-"
"No." Hoshimaru cut him off, taking his uncle by surprise. "I told a lie to him." The boy emphasized, somehow knowing that lying the that man might be worse than the actual lie itself.
Inuyasha stilled. Sesshoumaru? He had come by today? When? How? It wasn't possible that he hadn't noticed! He had figured that Sesshoumaru was still locked up in that personal prison he called an office. But he had spoken with Hoshimaru? "What happened?"
Hoshimaru hiccupped, hesitating. "He came by today. He said he wanted t'speak with me. An'...he told me that even if I didn't understand, he cared about me an' that he was sorry. But I didn't say anything back. I thought he was a bad man 'cause kaa-san always ran from him. I told him that Shippou-nii-san didn't like him. An' he said he knew. Then I said that I didn't like him either."
Hoshimaru paused, burying his face in his uncle's shirt. "But I lied." He said, muffled. "I do like him, like him lots, like I like kaa-san. But I don't know why, 'cause he's the bad man! Even Souta-ji-san says so!"
Inuyasha felt the hot tears of fear and frustration through his shirt. Hoshimaru was crying again, and he couldn't blame the boy at all for his dilemma. How could he explain? Hoshimaru didn't even know that Sesshoumaru was supposed to be his father. Damn it, Sesshoumaru. You are so fucked!
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Sesshoumaru spent that night locked up in his office. He had returned in a mood much more disheartened than when he had left, and couldn't find it in himself to venture out once more. He sat and waited for his contacts to communicate whatever clue on Kagome they might have found. He had gone out actively before, and found that his presence actually complicated the situation. He felt useless in his own office.
A map was pinned to his far wall. Colored pins and notes decorated it, pointing out various places and areas Kagome had been spotted, might have been, or could have traveled to. It was all useless at this point though. That information was months old and hardly valid.
His own father had been unusually silent toward him. He wouldn't approach the man with any questions. He's have to do this on his own. If a Taisho learned anything, it was to be responsible for their own actions.
He hadn't supposed he could sink further than rock bottom. What a surprise to find that the floor of his grave was quicksand.
He woke up the next morning, startled by the beeping of his fax machine. He watched the machine curiously as it printed out a few sheets of paper onto his desk. He hoped it was a lead.
He gave a quick scan of the papers before his fingers unconsciously curled into a fist at his side.
Just what the hell did that spider think he was pulling?
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"Do you like it?" The low voice purred.
Her bowed head nodded.
"Voice it." He commanded.
"O-of course. I…like it." She replied shakily.
"Hm…" Naraku placed a finger beneath her chin, raising her face to meet his inspective gaze. "Smile."
She smiled.
He brushed her hair from his face. "Kagome Kagome," he sang. "Little bird in a cage…" His fingers threaded through her hair.
"We'll be having a guest today." He said, his voice turning serious. "You should be ready by then. Don't forget your place, Kagome."
She nodded.
"Good girl. Just stick with me until this is over, and you'll get what's coming to you." He turned and left her in the room, locking the door behind him.
She nodded again in the darkness. Her fingers played on the hem of her dress, eyes clenched shut. "Hoshimaru…" She murmured to herself. "I'm so sorry."
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Inuyasha snapped his cell open so hard he was almost afraid he had broken it. "Shippou!"
"Inuyasha." Was the terse reply. "Do you have a suit yet?"
"Huh?" Inuyasha replied confused. "For what?"
"The gala." Shippou answered, exasperated. After weeks of practically ignoring him, the one time he calls with something important, and of course the man is ignorant of it.
"Oh! That thing? I never go." Inuyasha stated. "Boring, and I think my dad wouldn't want me there anyways. I have a tendency to cause a bit of fuss at those kinds of things."
"Attend this year. Your brother's voucher will get you in. You'll be meeting my proxy after the dinner. We need to talk." Shippou stated.
"Yeah! But why not now?" Inuyasha asked, puzzled over the way Shippou was handling it. A proxy? Shippou would usually deal with him face-to-face. He hoped that Shippou hadn't become that adverse to seeing him.
"You'll see when you get there." Shippou hung up abruptly. He didn't need Inuyasha to ask any more questions. He had already partially figured it out. Naraku, being the braggart that he was, would no doubt be using Kagome as bait that evening. If Inuyasha were there, he would definitely raise hell being the hot-head that he was. That would probably give him time to make it over to Kagome before Naraku booted Inuyasha from the event.
Sesshoumaru would be attending too, and as far as Shippou could figure, would probably be shocked by Kagome, but also be hiding in the shadows. As proud as a man as he was, Sesshoumaru dealt with failure pretty poorly. His mistakes would be haunting him and he would hesitate over what to do with Kagome. It would be Shippou's chance.
He had to take it.
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"My, Sesshoumaru. I didn't expect you to be here so soon." Naraku turned, his face drawn into an expression of faux surprise as the Taisho head stormed in. "You look like you just rolled out of bed." He commented idly, taking in Sesshoumaru's less-than-impeccable appearance from sleeping at his office.
It had taken him a little over an hour to track down the spider to a dress shop. Normally, he wouldn't use such crass methods as a head-on confrontation, that was more of Inuyasha's style, but he was feeling particularly irritable today. He detested the Kumo, so very much.
Sesshoumaru's sour disposition simply rolled over the Kumo. He smiled at him as if there were old friends. "You caught me at a bad time. My date's dress is just being finished just now. It was quite difficult to tailor the unique cuts of her dress, but I'm sure that you'll appreciate it."
Sesshoumaru could have cared less. He thrust the papers at Naraku. "Explain the meaning of this." He demanded, seething.
"Hm?" Curious crimson eyes slid over the documents. "It looks to me as if it were a merger contract between Taisho corp. and Kumo inc." He articulated flippantly.
"It's disgusting." Sesshoumaru sneered. To call it a 'merger' was downright lying. It was anything BUT. The document laid out plans for an almost complete liquidation of Taisho corp, laying down further instructions for the Kumo's use of Taisho assets and contracts. Taisho corp would become a skeleton puppet with it's strings being pulled by the Kumo.
Naraku merely shook his head. "Now is hardly the time to be discussing business. It's gala night tomorrow. A night to celebrate our achievements throughout the year." He grinned.
Sesshoumaru scowled. The spider was mocking him.
An attendant came out from the back rooms. She ignored Sesshoumaru completely and walked over the Naraku, whispering something into his ear.
A delighted expression crossed the Kumo's face. "Oh! Her dress is finished? Well, bring her out, I'd like to see what she looks like." He smiled. "Sesshoumaru, please stay. I'd like to hear your input on her dress as well. You have such an eye for fashion." He complimented lightly.
Sesshoumaru glared at him. As if in reply, he tore the contract in his hands into two pieces.
Naraku frowned, shaking his head. "Such a spoilsport. Oo, here she comes now."
A pale hand reached out between the drapes of the changing room and parted the curtains. Sesshoumaru stared bewitched at the hand. With the cloying feeling of dread, he realized that he recognized that hand.
A dark-haired head poked itself from the curtains, the rest of her sleek, pale body languidly sliding through the narrow part in the drapery. She lifted her head, eyes meeting with Naraku, and slowly made her way forward.
Naraku took her by the hand, grinning. "Sesshoumaru, meet my lovely date for tomorrow night's gala, Higurashi Kagome. Kagome, this is the head of Taisho corp, Taisho Sesshoumaru." He looped her arm around his, one hand resting on hers.
Sesshoumaru was stunned. He'd been searching for months, relentlessly chasing down any clue as to her whereabouts, and here she stood, smiling before him as if there was nothing wrong. Worse yet, she was with Kumo Naraku! How could that be?
He was the one who had initially caused the fiasco, the root of the problem! That damn Kumo. He had plotted out the whole disaster, and still was not finished toying with them. It was infuriating.
Naraku introduced them cordially to one another, as if they had never met before.
His anger vanished once he had a good look at Kagome.
Her appearance was shocking.
She looked so...perfect. It somehow seemed wrong in his mind. The last he had seen of her, she had been ill. She had been so sick, practically starving. Her body had been thin, her bones too prominent. But here, she was fully fleshed out and healthy. She had a charming glow on her cheeks, and her body was finally revealing the curves of womanhood her starvation had hidden. It seemed wrong that she should have been able to recover so well within the nest of spiders when her time with friends and family seemed to be harming her.
Kagome acted her part perfectly, her expression calm and warm smile on her lips. She gave him a small, respectful bow, and he found himself inclining his head slightly in response.
"It is nice to meet you, Taisho-sama." She said, smiling
Kami, it was awful. How was she able to smile like that. Those months ago, she had felt nothing but utter terror and revulsion in his presence...how could so much have changed? How could she smile like that while in the arms of that vile creature? But however much he hated Naraku for doing what he had done, he hated himself more for committing those atrocities, and in watching her smile, he realized that he had not seen her do so for over five years.
His face remained impassive, but a growing lump was forming in his throat. He missed her, so very much.
Naraku was explaining something to him, but he wasn't listening. He simply watched her, staring at Kagome. She was playing the polite escortee, smiling and looking positively radiant on the Kumo's arm as they stood there.
She was beautiful.
Her dress had been specifically tailored, caressing her curves and showing off her lovely feminine form, without revealing too much skin. Her dress cut oddly, coming off her shoulders and baring the upper portion of her left shoulder. Detached sleeves came up from her wrists and were asymmetrical in length to one another. A long, slashed slit cut up the side of her skirt to show off her long legs, but still covered most of her flesh.
It hit him suddenly that the strange cuts of the dress were designed to show off her beautiful skin while hiding her scars beneath strategically placed pieces of silk. He stiffened slightly. He had hurt her, so badly, but she still shone. She was gorgeous even as scarred as mentally and physically as he knew she was.
A bubble of frustration welled within him as he watched her. What could he say to her? What could he do? She was acting as if she hadn't known him. She knew him! She had been engaged to him! Why was she acting like this? But what could he do? If he said one wrong thing she might regress. He had no idea what had happened, but he knew that Naraku was manipulating her.
That man was a sadist. He wanted to take her away from him, she wasn't safe! But it was too soon, too unexpected. Naraku was toying with him, showing her off like some prized bauble. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
She was so close.
All he would have to do is extend one arm, and he could touch her, feel her warm skin beneath his fingertips. He remembered what her supple flesh had felt, so yielding and smooth. Her skin had been petal soft, feeling so delicate against his skin, but at the same time, she had been a strong woman. She had held muscle beneath her deceptively fragile form, but now, there was no lie in her form. She was as delicate as she appeared, and he had made her so. He couldn't just take her, he knew. Naraku would destroy him, and her.
He wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to grab her by the arm and pull her toward him, crush her against him and never ever let her go. He wanted to be the only person she smiled at, the only person that she would look at with her eyes shining with so much emotion, so much love, only for him.
He swallowed. Those years ago, she could have been the one on his arm. She was so perfect. And he was beginning to realize just how much more he had given up on that day he had decided that she wasn't worth it. Now, when she was with another that undeniably didn't deserve her. Kumo was a cruel beast of a man, willing to shed innocent blood to acquire what he desired. But Sesshoumaru was no innocent either. He had shed her blood in order to obtain what he had thought he had wanted.
She was so much more than he had ever expected, and having to watch her at a distance was slowly killing him inside.
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SM: The glue is melting!