InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fleeting ❯ Revelation (Interlude) ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: LuxKen27 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.11.2012 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 511 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.11.2012 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 511 | Status: Work In Progress
un_love_you prompt: #16 – “I want to break you.”
TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
CC: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 26 Jan 2009, 06:00
SUBJECT: [SECURE] Memo
S. –
Good show!
– D.
TO: The King [i.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
CC: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 26 Jan 2009, 08:45
SUBJECT: Re: [SECURE] Memo
Mind calling off your dogs, then, your majesty?
TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 29 Jan 2009, 21:00
SUBJECT: Re: [SECURE] Memo
S. –
Oh, surely you jest!
Your greatest weakness has always been your follow through. You’d do well to take a lesson from the mongrel in these matters – move fast, strike first.
Show me you can deliver SHK on your own, and then we’ll talk.
– D.
She gave him a sympathetic smile before taking a bite of her sandwich. “Well, it is a high-stakes enterprise,” she said wryly, “and people play to win.”
Inuyasha wrinkled his brow as he studied his uneaten lunch. “Maybe, but my dad is starting to use some pretty brazen tactics to get what he wants.”
Kagome shrugged. “Quelle surprise,” she mused, earning a surprised and admiring look from her companion. “The newbies are always the ones taking the risks – gambling it all is the only way to get ahead in the game. And that’s all this is to these people – just a game.” She couldn’t suppress a shudder of disgust. “Power means everything to them, and the rest of it is just an intellectual exercise.”
Inuyasha’s expression fell. “I guess…” he murmured, his thoughts trailing off.
Kagome’s heart went out to her companion as she studied him; he seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment, no doubt thinking about – and putting into perspective – all of the stunts that his father was pulling in the name of the family business. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later, when he suddenly said, “He’s pretty ruthless…it’s kinda eye-opening, really.”
“Yeah, your illusions about what a great and humble man your father must be to lead such a successful enterprise are shattered pretty quickly, when you learn what he really does for a living,” she sighed, reaching for his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I wish I could say it gets easier to deal with, but…”
She averted her eyes, picking at the other half of her sandwich.
“But what?” he prompted curiously.
She pursed her lips, thinning them in a grim line. “Well, I wouldn’t know,” she finally replied in a low tone. “My father decided that he couldn’t take it anymore after a business deal went wrong, and he lost the main source of funding for the shrine.” Her vision blurred as she stared at her plate, wiping the crumbs from her fingers.
Suddenly, she wasn’t all that hungry anymore.
“I’m sorry,” Inuyasha said quietly after a moment.
Kagome nodded, biting her lip in a vain attempt to calm herself. Her father’s death was still very hard for her to think about, even though five years now stood between her and the horrible memory. Images flashed unbidden through the back of her mind: her mother’s anguished cry at discovering the body – the ambulance arriving to take him away – the somber, heavy atmosphere that permeated the funeral, which her grandfather had refused to attend – the split down family lines when his will was discovered and disseminated…
Inuyasha, noticing her suddenly solemn state, left his side of the table and slid into the booth next to her, immediately wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Know what the worst part about the whole thing was?” she asked, her voice gravelly with unshed tears. She didn’t wait for him to respond. “The way my family’s company was handled after his death – it was absolutely despicable.”
Inuyasha’s eyebrows shot up as he caught her eye.
She wasn’t surprised at his reaction, given the sheer, strident bitterness of her tone. “You want to talk ruthless? My father’s business partners all said the right things right after it happened, and attended the funeral and all of the services – but the second he was in the ground, they were scrambling like ants to pick up what was left of the company.”
She winced at the memory, and how hurtful it was to realize that her father’s business partners had never truly been his friends. “They fought amongst themselves about how best to divide up his assets, who would get the most stock, or the most votes on the board of directors. A couple of them even courted my mother – !”
She clamped her mouth shut, unconsciously balling her hands into fists as a wave of revulsion at the memory momentarily overwhelmed her. “My father hadn’t been dead for six months, but they didn’t care,” she spat. “They didn’t even bother to hide their ulterior motives when they went after her.”
Inuyasha swallowed convulsively. “Wow. That really sucks.”
Kagome nodded. “At least we had Jii-chan,” she continued softly. “Jii-chan, the shrine priest, who demanded propriety from all of us, but especially from her – he’s very big on family tradition, and even though my father…” She stopped; it was still too painful to even think those awful words. “He was still his son, and he still deserved at least that.” She sniffled, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “And Jii-chan probably saved my mother’s life, compelling her to obey his wishes like that.”
She looked up at Inuyasha then, her lips drawn in a thin line. “So you see? I know what lengths some men will go to for their own selfish desires,” she told him bitterly. “My mother regained her sanity, thank God, and moved the family’s interests in the company into a trust, so we wouldn’t find ourselves that vulnerable ever again.”
Inuyasha furrowed his brow as he studied her. “But you all still get a vote, right? You all have a say in the decisions that the company makes?”
Kagome snorted derisively in response. “Who gives a ten-year-old a seat on the board of directors? Like my little brother was mature enough to understand such a thing!” She shook her head and pulled out of his grasp, averting her eyes to the empty space beside her. “Let’s just change the subject, okay?”
A patch of silence stretched out between them.
“All right,” he finally replied.
He hesitated before reluctantly leaving her side, sitting down again opposite her and picking up his sandwich. “So,” he said around a mouthful, “you have any big plans for the weekend?”
Kagome took a deep breath. Though she was relieved to finally be off the subject of her father and the effect his death had on the family business, she wasn’t exactly eager to discuss her boyfriend. When Sesshoumaru had asked to take things slow, she hadn’t realized he’d meant this slow. They’d been together for over a month, and she still hadn’t seen the inside of his bedroom – or convinced him to spend the night in hers.
Still, she couldn’t help but hold out a little hope – maybe he was secretly a romantic, and planning to sweep her off her feet for Valentine’s Day. Such a surprise would certainly be worth the agony of waiting, in her estimation.
She plastered a smile on her face as she turned her gaze back to her companion. “I hope so!” she said brightly, a flush of pleasure rising to her cheeks.
Inuyasha lifted a brow. “You mean this mysterious boyfriend of yours hasn’t informed you of any elaborate plans for Valentine’s Day yet?” he teased. “What’s he waiting for?”
“Hey!” she protested playfully, reaching out to swat his hand when he reached for the forgotten half of her sandwich. “Maybe I like surprises, did you ever think of that?”
Inuyasha eyed her skeptically. “You, Miss Can’t-Keep-a-Secret?”
She giggled. “Okay, okay,” she considered, “maybe that’s why Sesshoumaru hasn’t told me what he’s planning yet.”
The moment his name escaped her lips, her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She had purposefully kept Inuyasha in the dark about the identity of her boyfriend, for two reasons: one, any time Sesshoumaru’s name came anywhere near their conversation (even merely overhearing it in passing), Inuyasha sneered with disgust.
Her other reason was more selfish, but also more important: Inuyasha had become one of her dearest friends over the course of the last few months, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. She knew that he was disappointed about their casual dates never escalating into something more; given his adverse reaction to even hearing Sesshoumaru’s name, she didn’t want to know how he’d react to finding out that he was the reason she’d left him in the dust.
Boyfriends, she’d had. Flings, she’d had. Great friends? Those she could count on one hand – and she couldn’t afford to lose another one.
“Sesshoumaru, eh?” Inuyasha mused, his expression carefully neutral, as if he was weighing the idea – and finding it lacking.
“Yeah,” she breathed, unable to suppress the happy smile that rose to her lips. Slow progression or no, the very fact that she could call Sesshoumaru her boyfriend still sent shivers of excitement racing down her spine. Never before had a new year’s resolution produced such gains so quickly!
She snapped back to the present. “You’re not mad that I didn’t tell you, are you?” she asked, eying her companion carefully.
Inuyasha shrugged. “It’s your business, not mine.”
Kagome nodded with relief – if a bit or surprise at how well he was taking the news. Had she underestimated his attachment to her?
“Of course,” he continued matter-of-factly, flexing his hands into fists, “if he hurts you, then it becomes my business.”
He offered a sheepish shrug in return to her surprised expression. “Hey, rules of the road,” he told her with a smile. “That’s why most guys never want their girlfriends to have other guy friends. We’re a protective lot.”
Kagome smiled wryly in response, noting the subtle surliness that lined his features even beneath his smile. She couldn’t help but feel flattered by the idea of being protected as jealously as he hinted. “I think Sesshoumaru can handle himself just fine,” she noted.
“As long as he gives you that same respect,” Inuyasha said firmly, “then I’ve got no beef with him.”
10. Revelation (Interlude)
FROM: The King [i.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
CC: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 26 Jan 2009, 06:00
SUBJECT: [SECURE] Memo
S. –
Good show!
– D.
-x-
FROM: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]TO: The King [i.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
CC: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 26 Jan 2009, 08:45
SUBJECT: Re: [SECURE] Memo
Mind calling off your dogs, then, your majesty?
-x-
FROM: The King [i.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
DATE: 29 Jan 2009, 21:00
SUBJECT: Re: [SECURE] Memo
S. –
Oh, surely you jest!
Your greatest weakness has always been your follow through. You’d do well to take a lesson from the mongrel in these matters – move fast, strike first.
Show me you can deliver SHK on your own, and then we’ll talk.
– D.
~*~
“Sometimes I really hate this,” Inuyasha sighed, settling against the back of the booth in the small, quiet sandwich shop. He glanced morosely at Kagome. “Who knew business could be so shady?”She gave him a sympathetic smile before taking a bite of her sandwich. “Well, it is a high-stakes enterprise,” she said wryly, “and people play to win.”
Inuyasha wrinkled his brow as he studied his uneaten lunch. “Maybe, but my dad is starting to use some pretty brazen tactics to get what he wants.”
Kagome shrugged. “Quelle surprise,” she mused, earning a surprised and admiring look from her companion. “The newbies are always the ones taking the risks – gambling it all is the only way to get ahead in the game. And that’s all this is to these people – just a game.” She couldn’t suppress a shudder of disgust. “Power means everything to them, and the rest of it is just an intellectual exercise.”
Inuyasha’s expression fell. “I guess…” he murmured, his thoughts trailing off.
Kagome’s heart went out to her companion as she studied him; he seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment, no doubt thinking about – and putting into perspective – all of the stunts that his father was pulling in the name of the family business. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later, when he suddenly said, “He’s pretty ruthless…it’s kinda eye-opening, really.”
“Yeah, your illusions about what a great and humble man your father must be to lead such a successful enterprise are shattered pretty quickly, when you learn what he really does for a living,” she sighed, reaching for his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I wish I could say it gets easier to deal with, but…”
She averted her eyes, picking at the other half of her sandwich.
“But what?” he prompted curiously.
She pursed her lips, thinning them in a grim line. “Well, I wouldn’t know,” she finally replied in a low tone. “My father decided that he couldn’t take it anymore after a business deal went wrong, and he lost the main source of funding for the shrine.” Her vision blurred as she stared at her plate, wiping the crumbs from her fingers.
Suddenly, she wasn’t all that hungry anymore.
“I’m sorry,” Inuyasha said quietly after a moment.
Kagome nodded, biting her lip in a vain attempt to calm herself. Her father’s death was still very hard for her to think about, even though five years now stood between her and the horrible memory. Images flashed unbidden through the back of her mind: her mother’s anguished cry at discovering the body – the ambulance arriving to take him away – the somber, heavy atmosphere that permeated the funeral, which her grandfather had refused to attend – the split down family lines when his will was discovered and disseminated…
Inuyasha, noticing her suddenly solemn state, left his side of the table and slid into the booth next to her, immediately wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Know what the worst part about the whole thing was?” she asked, her voice gravelly with unshed tears. She didn’t wait for him to respond. “The way my family’s company was handled after his death – it was absolutely despicable.”
Inuyasha’s eyebrows shot up as he caught her eye.
She wasn’t surprised at his reaction, given the sheer, strident bitterness of her tone. “You want to talk ruthless? My father’s business partners all said the right things right after it happened, and attended the funeral and all of the services – but the second he was in the ground, they were scrambling like ants to pick up what was left of the company.”
She winced at the memory, and how hurtful it was to realize that her father’s business partners had never truly been his friends. “They fought amongst themselves about how best to divide up his assets, who would get the most stock, or the most votes on the board of directors. A couple of them even courted my mother – !”
She clamped her mouth shut, unconsciously balling her hands into fists as a wave of revulsion at the memory momentarily overwhelmed her. “My father hadn’t been dead for six months, but they didn’t care,” she spat. “They didn’t even bother to hide their ulterior motives when they went after her.”
Inuyasha swallowed convulsively. “Wow. That really sucks.”
Kagome nodded. “At least we had Jii-chan,” she continued softly. “Jii-chan, the shrine priest, who demanded propriety from all of us, but especially from her – he’s very big on family tradition, and even though my father…” She stopped; it was still too painful to even think those awful words. “He was still his son, and he still deserved at least that.” She sniffled, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “And Jii-chan probably saved my mother’s life, compelling her to obey his wishes like that.”
She looked up at Inuyasha then, her lips drawn in a thin line. “So you see? I know what lengths some men will go to for their own selfish desires,” she told him bitterly. “My mother regained her sanity, thank God, and moved the family’s interests in the company into a trust, so we wouldn’t find ourselves that vulnerable ever again.”
Inuyasha furrowed his brow as he studied her. “But you all still get a vote, right? You all have a say in the decisions that the company makes?”
Kagome snorted derisively in response. “Who gives a ten-year-old a seat on the board of directors? Like my little brother was mature enough to understand such a thing!” She shook her head and pulled out of his grasp, averting her eyes to the empty space beside her. “Let’s just change the subject, okay?”
A patch of silence stretched out between them.
“All right,” he finally replied.
He hesitated before reluctantly leaving her side, sitting down again opposite her and picking up his sandwich. “So,” he said around a mouthful, “you have any big plans for the weekend?”
Kagome took a deep breath. Though she was relieved to finally be off the subject of her father and the effect his death had on the family business, she wasn’t exactly eager to discuss her boyfriend. When Sesshoumaru had asked to take things slow, she hadn’t realized he’d meant this slow. They’d been together for over a month, and she still hadn’t seen the inside of his bedroom – or convinced him to spend the night in hers.
Still, she couldn’t help but hold out a little hope – maybe he was secretly a romantic, and planning to sweep her off her feet for Valentine’s Day. Such a surprise would certainly be worth the agony of waiting, in her estimation.
She plastered a smile on her face as she turned her gaze back to her companion. “I hope so!” she said brightly, a flush of pleasure rising to her cheeks.
Inuyasha lifted a brow. “You mean this mysterious boyfriend of yours hasn’t informed you of any elaborate plans for Valentine’s Day yet?” he teased. “What’s he waiting for?”
“Hey!” she protested playfully, reaching out to swat his hand when he reached for the forgotten half of her sandwich. “Maybe I like surprises, did you ever think of that?”
Inuyasha eyed her skeptically. “You, Miss Can’t-Keep-a-Secret?”
She giggled. “Okay, okay,” she considered, “maybe that’s why Sesshoumaru hasn’t told me what he’s planning yet.”
The moment his name escaped her lips, her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She had purposefully kept Inuyasha in the dark about the identity of her boyfriend, for two reasons: one, any time Sesshoumaru’s name came anywhere near their conversation (even merely overhearing it in passing), Inuyasha sneered with disgust.
Her other reason was more selfish, but also more important: Inuyasha had become one of her dearest friends over the course of the last few months, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. She knew that he was disappointed about their casual dates never escalating into something more; given his adverse reaction to even hearing Sesshoumaru’s name, she didn’t want to know how he’d react to finding out that he was the reason she’d left him in the dust.
Boyfriends, she’d had. Flings, she’d had. Great friends? Those she could count on one hand – and she couldn’t afford to lose another one.
“Sesshoumaru, eh?” Inuyasha mused, his expression carefully neutral, as if he was weighing the idea – and finding it lacking.
“Yeah,” she breathed, unable to suppress the happy smile that rose to her lips. Slow progression or no, the very fact that she could call Sesshoumaru her boyfriend still sent shivers of excitement racing down her spine. Never before had a new year’s resolution produced such gains so quickly!
She snapped back to the present. “You’re not mad that I didn’t tell you, are you?” she asked, eying her companion carefully.
Inuyasha shrugged. “It’s your business, not mine.”
Kagome nodded with relief – if a bit or surprise at how well he was taking the news. Had she underestimated his attachment to her?
“Of course,” he continued matter-of-factly, flexing his hands into fists, “if he hurts you, then it becomes my business.”
He offered a sheepish shrug in return to her surprised expression. “Hey, rules of the road,” he told her with a smile. “That’s why most guys never want their girlfriends to have other guy friends. We’re a protective lot.”
Kagome smiled wryly in response, noting the subtle surliness that lined his features even beneath his smile. She couldn’t help but feel flattered by the idea of being protected as jealously as he hinted. “I think Sesshoumaru can handle himself just fine,” she noted.
“As long as he gives you that same respect,” Inuyasha said firmly, “then I’ve got no beef with him.”