InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fleeting ❯ Temptation ( Chapter 21 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

un_love_you prompt:  #06 – “I want to need you.”

“Hmm,” Sesshoumaru mused, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at the screen of his computer. Well, isn’t this interesting, he thought, eyeing the dark red warning screen that filled his browser. He checked the address once more, just in case he’d made a mistake...but no.

This was the right website.

“What’s up?”

He glanced up, startled from his thoughts by the quiet question. Kagome was lying on the common room sofa, curled into her favorite blue blanket, her body oriented towards the flickering screen of the television to his right, though her eyes were focused on him. His breath caught in the back of his throat as he held her gaze, one finger tapping absently on the keyboard as he mulled over whether or not to answer her question. Truth be told, he hadn’t even realized he’d made an audible noise.

He turned his attention back to the screen. It had been a long day for both of them; he didn’t have the energy to really go into all the details. “It appears my access to the inner workings of Taisho’s system has been cut off,” he finally explained, his tone bemused. “I can’t even get into my email.”

Her brows shot up in amazement. “Whoa,” she breathed. “That’s harsh.”

He shrugged, reaching for the remote to turn down the volume of her chosen variety program. “More like a clever rouse from my father, no doubt,” he continued. “I was checking some of his files to see if he had any designs on the company we’re looking to acquire at SHK.” A small smile rose to his lips as he met her gaze once more. “I suppose he didn’t take too kindly to my snooping around.”

“Hmm,” Kagome murmured, burrowing deeper into the sofa, fighting to keep her eyes open. “What are you going to do?”

“Fight fire with fire,” he replied, furrowing his brow as he focused on his computer once more. Now I just have to figure out how to do that.

Really, he wasn’t surprised to have the access to his father’s company records cut off; he’d expected about as much after rejecting the offer to take the reins of Taisho Industrial, the company that was to be his inheritance. To accept the company on his father’s terms would’ve meant becoming a pawn in his latest round of power plays – attempting to acquire two different companies at the same time, all so he could retire in a blaze of glory while giving the finger to his biggest competitors. Sesshoumaru found the scheme distasteful, at best, and just shady, at worst.

Besides, the company would’ve been his in name only – and he’d be under his father’s thumb for the rest of his life.  That was not the life he had envisioned for himself.

Now that he was working for his father’s biggest competitor, losing confidential privileges was only a matter of time. Being able to cross-reference the records at SHK with those of Taisho Enterprises, the umbrella company, was too big of an advantage for his father not to notice. Still – losing access to his email was something of a shocker. It was his primary source of information from his family, his mother and grandmother included, so losing it meant he was also cut off from them.

Deciding it must’ve been some sort of error, Sesshoumaru maneuvered around the web, checking his other accounts (only to find them in pristine order), before hopping on a proxy and pinging his father’s server again.

No dice.

IP block? he wondered, quirking a brow. His father’s wrath had never been quite this delayed before. The man was quick with his emotion, be it joy or rage; he rushed to judgment, but was not generally one to carry a grudge. He’d made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that his eldest son was a monumental disappointment, but that opinion had been made known via a series of continual insults, instead of a constant dredging up past misdeeds.

No, if he was only now being blocked from the company websites, that meant he’d committed some new sin that he was, as of yet, unaware of. But if he knew his father, he knew he wouldn’t be waiting for long to hear all about it.

With a sigh, Sesshoumaru turned off the computer and put it aside. He glanced at his watch and grimaced; it was already almost midnight, and seven am rolled around far too early for his liking. Exhaustion cloaked him as he sat there; the long days were beginning to turn into long weeks. His job was more demanding on his time than he’d anticipated; even though he was three weeks into it, he still hadn’t yet fully adjusted.

Before he could give in to his fatigue, he forced himself to stand up, gathering his computer and going back to his bedroom to pack everything up. Every morning minute was precious, and he knew from experience that the better prepared he was at night, the longer he could sleep in the next day. He went about his nightly routine: stowing away his computer and notes, taking inventory of his closet, changing into what passed for pajamas. These early summer nights were warm and sticky; if he still lived alone, he’d have no compunction about sleeping naked.

But, for a roommate, he’d be considerate…

He yawned, remembering said roommate was still out on the sofa. Slipping into the darkened hallway, he pushed ajar the door to her room as he passed by it. The flickering of the television caught his attention as he reentered the room; he tilted his head and folded his arms over his chest as he came to a halt by the sofa. Whatever Kagome had been watching had since been replaced by porn, the usual fodder for all of the television channels once midnight had come and gone. Sesshoumaru found himself singularly unmoved by the happenings on screen; no matter how impressive the positions or ardent the groans, it always looked so cheap and empty.

He cut a glance at the sofa from the corner of his eye. No, if he wanted sex, he wanted the whole, visceral experience.

He turned off the TV with a flick of his wrist, before kneeling next to his sleeping companion. Kagome was on her side, pressed back into the sofa cushions, tucked snugly under the blanket, the tips of her fingers resting next to her cheek. She looked so peaceful in repose, so beautiful, that he felt loath to wake her, but it was not exactly the most comfortable piece of furniture to spend the night on.

“Wake up, Kagome,” he said softly, reaching out to shake her shoulder. “Come on, we both have to get up in the morning.”

She didn’t respond to his gentle ministrations, the rise and fall of her chest continuing in a deep, familiar rhythm.

For a moment, he was torn; it took every fiber of his being to fight what was becoming the most natural instinct whenever they were in such close proximity.  How easy it would be to let his hand drift down, to close his arms around her, to gather her close and revel in the indulgence of warm skin against warm skin. Even at the end of a long day, he found her scent enticing, her lips so soft and alluring…

He had no obligation to her, beyond being a considerate roommate, and yet – he found himself unable to just leave her.

She was the worst sort of temptation – one he knew all too well, and wanted even more than that.

His hand slipped from her shoulder, following the curve of her neck until it rest lightly over the side of her face, his fingers drifting into her soft tresses of ebony hair. He turned his studious gaze to her face, half-wondering how he’d managed to find himself into this situation in the first place. Maybe that’s what was most amazing of all:  she was so far from his type – romantic or platonic – that it was nothing short of a miracle that they’d gotten along in any capacity!  Instead, what had started off as a courteous roommate situation had somehow evolved into so much more…weeks of winter break reminiscence had culminated in a searing New Year’s kiss, which had tipped off the most intense relationship he’d ever been in.

It was very much a case of the right thing happening at the wrong time; he could never quite allow himself to give in to his desire for her, thanks to the all-consuming work on his master’s thesis, as well as the all-consuming guilt he felt over never telling her he intended to take a job with her family’s company. Because of that secret, he’d made an ill-fated choice:  his professional ambitions were more important than their romantic relationship, and he wouldn’t use one to further the other – not if it meant hurting her in the process.

Ultimately, this choice proved to be his downfall.

Kagome had always been the more aggressive of the two; it hadn’t taken long for her motivations to become clear.  She had no ulterior motive, beyond simply wanting to be with him; it had been a long time indeed since someone had shown such blatant, intense sexual interest in him.  She was always touching him, seemingly needing constant, continual physical contact, even via something as innocent as hand-holding.  He was most definitely not the touchy-feely type, but somewhere between irritation and desire and lust and need, her touch proved to be just as comforting as it was sensual.

For Sesshoumaru, it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. She was the light to his dark, the bubbly to his solemn, the volatile wildcard in his steady, staid existence. Only now did he realize that he was in love with her, no matter how much he’d denied it at the time, and that above all else, he wanted to protect that. Sleeping with her, with all the secrets and lies strewn between them, would’ve only hurt her, and he couldn’t live with himself, knowing what a violation of trust it would’ve been.

However, she had grown frustrated with his refusal to have sex with her, and ultimately found fulfillment elsewhere. Unfortunately, it had been with his long-estranged half-brother, and the emotional explosion that had followed had not only ended their romantic relationship, and but it had almost broken their tenuous grip on friendship as well.

It was almost laughable, really; it had taken just as long to move past that period in their lives as it had to live through it in the first place.

And yet, it had proved to be a double-edged sword: their fallout had been completely emotional.  Perhaps dangerously, their physical attraction had never really waned – and, indeed, was coming back with a vengeance, now that they were becoming comfortable in each other’s presence again.

Sesshoumaru sighed, reluctantly untangling his hand from her hair and reaching for the blanket that covered her. He bit down hard on his lip as he pulled the soft blue fabric away, revealing to him the body he’d once had unlimited access to, implicit permission to touch in any way he’d wanted. Her shirt had ridden up a little bit, exposing the creamy, flat plane of her stomach.  He’d never had the pleasure of exploring this particular frontier, beyond a fleeting touch, but temptation was severely testing him now, along with the sight of her delicate white lace panties.

He swallowed hard, refocusing his gaze on her face as he felt every nerve ending in his body catch fire, making his skin flush and constrict.

Breaking up with her – well, such as it was – had been a rather unique experience as well. His previous long-term relationship had ended bitterly, breaking him so badly that he’d withdrawn completely from the social scene, throwing himself into his studies with extra determination. That girl had very much been his type:  cool, intelligent, witty, unafraid of using her acidic tongue as the situation demanded. He’d thought she was perfect, a good match to his professionalism and personal ambition. Only too late did he realize that she was only after the power and prestige of his family name; he had given her his heart, only to have it handed back to him on a platter. He’d only been able to heal from that breakup after totally excising her from his life, separating himself completely from anything he’d ever associated with her.

He hadn’t been sure that he’d ever be able to get over her or what she did to him, or find someone with whom he’d ever feel comfortable again…and that’s when Kagome waltzed into his life.

She was different. She didn’t need his money, or power, or the reputation that came along with being a Taisho; she had all that in spades, not to mention a father who truly seemed to have adored her when he was alive. She was his equal, if not his better, in every societal measure. She seemed to understand the pressures of the life he led, even if she, herself, dealt with them differently. It had been so effortless, falling in love with her, opening the door of his heart again after three years of keeping it tightly shuttered…and in the end, they shared the blame for the demise of their romance.  She’d sought affection elsewhere, but only because he hadn’t trusted her – not completely; not with the truth.

So when he looked at her now, he didn’t see the woman who cheated on him by sleeping with his brother.  No, who he saw was the woman he’d fallen in love with when he didn’t think such a thing was even possible, and the trust they’d both shattered, with all of the lies and misdirection from all angles.

That’s why he wasn’t able to let her go, why he didn’t kick her out of the apartment when it all went down, why he’d offered her friendship at the first opportunity he could. Lust, anger, regret – those were the types of fleeting emotions that evaporated with the passage of time and lapse of memory. Love, however, lingered on, smoldering in hearts, defying logical minds.

He reached for the arm closest to him, draping it over his shoulder with delicate care, his fingers slowly sweeping over the expanse of her smooth, soft skin.  Gently, he slipped his arms under her body, securing one behind her back and the other under her knees.  Silently, carefully, he lifted her up, turning around and making his way down the darkened hallway.  She was a welcome weight in his arms, slowing his stride to a comfortable gait, so that he might savor this moment for as long as possible.  He eased open the door to her room, using what little light filtered in from the common room to navigate over to her bed, and he deposited her there in the tangle of sheets and blankets.

The fragrance of her skin met his nose before he realized what he was doing; he sat up abruptly, squeezing his eyes closed as something heavy and somber settled in his chest. He wanted her, and he needed her, but he also wanted to need her, just as she seemed to need him. Their friendship had recovered nicely, and they had steadily grown closer over the last few weeks, but there was no sense of urgency behind her actions. It seemed as if she had separated herself quite neatly from him, respecting the boundaries he had cautiously set. She was close, but not too close, and he was determined to respect that.

His most basic, primal instinct, from the moment she had offered him the internship at her family’s company, was to kiss her whenever she was within such close proximity.  That impulse was becoming harder and harder to resist with each passing day.  He’d tempted fate once already this evening; he hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed holding her in his arms until he was doing it again.  But – he knew how precious second chances were, and no matter how much he wanted this, he’d have to do it right.  So many other things were warring for his attention now – and he wasn’t about to make her fight that battle again.

All he could hope for now was her patience –

– yet even he knew the race against time was one men usually ended up losing.

Sesshoumaru pushed open the double glass doors at the headquarters of SHK a few days later, lost in his own thoughts. Kagome was beside him, chatting happily, but he wasn’t paying attention. Another weekend loomed large, one that would prove to be heavy on the work and light on any relaxation.

Goddamn Takeda, he groused silently, scowling as he eyed the sidewalk. The junior executive, director of the entire finance department, had taken a curiously special interest in the merger & negotiation division the day Sesshoumaru had started his internship.  He’d made it quite plain that he trusted Sesshoumaru about as far as he could throw him, and the feeling was fast becoming mutual. Takeda had made no secret of his contempt for having a Taisho walking among them, and had set about making damn sure Sesshoumaru was every bit as competent as he’d claimed. This wouldn’t have bothered him nearly so much, but the older man had also implied that he was only there by the grace of Kagome’s romantic whims. Not only was that an affront and insult to Sesshoumaru’s credibility, but it also threw a wrench in any notions he had to win back his former girlfriend.

Sesshoumaru was not one to do anything by halves; he didn’t like having to alter his behavior for any reason much less to accommodate a set of circumstances he faced for only a few hours during the day. Nevertheless, he was determined to prove to Takeda – and any others around the office sharing in the whispers – that he was fully capable of doing the job he had been assigned, and that he was there by his own merit.

Even if that meant taking his work home with him.

Suddenly, he became acutely aware of his surroundings when he felt Kagome’s grip tighten over his arm. “Or maybe you’d rather go straight home and fuck me senseless,” she proposed in her most seductive tone, her breath warm against the shell of his ear.

He looked over at her sharply, his entire body going rigid in reaction to the suggestion. The best laid plans, of mice and men…

Another voice entered the fray, saving him from having to formulate a coherent response. By the time her friend Sango caught up with them, he’d managed to recover and extract himself from yet another dangerously tempting situation. Kagome was reluctant to let him go, but he insisted, sensing an opportunity to deal with the other issue clogging his mind at present.

Besides Takeda breathing down his throat at work, Sesshoumaru was becoming increasingly concerned about his inability to access his family’s company databases. He’d attempted to reach the corporation’s website from a couple of different computers, only to meet with little to no success. The one time he was able to log into his email, he’d seen a few unread notes from Inuyasha, of all people! That had only served to stoke his curiosity further; he just had a bad feeling about this entire situation...

He hopped on the metro, riding down a few stops to the public library. Once there, he headed down to the basement, where the old study carrels were, and logged into one of the provided computers. He knew library computers were some of the best to use for things like this, as they all shared the same IP address – one that was registered to a public entity, no less. Even if his proxy was busted, the IP wouldn’t be blocked because it wasn’t suspicious.

After a bit of maneuvering, he managed to get back into his corporate – and familial – email account. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the inbox, before clicking on the other folders.

All of them were empty.

The account had been wiped clean.

Mumbling a few choice words to himself, he pulled up another window, typing in an address from memory. Crossing his fingers that the computer would allow him, he managed to download the desired program, into which he quickly fed in his information in order to retrieve the deleted emails. He couldn’t resist a triumphant smile when it worked, and the two unread emails sent from Inuyasha’s account popped up once more.

FROM: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]

DATE: 26 May 2009, 23:34

SUBJECT: (no subject)
I need to talk to you.

FROM: The Spare [i.malliard AT taishoenterprises DOT com]
TO: The Heir [s.taisho AT taishoenterprises DOT com]

DATE: 29 May 2009, 04:35

SUBJECT: re: Hidecki

Come on, S. It’s important! We need to speak ASAP.


Sesshoumaru scowled as he read the messages. You jackass, he swore silently. No doubt, if his father had read these messages – as he often did, when email wasn’t sent securely – this was the reason his email access had been cut off.  Once Sesshoumaru had rejected his offer to take over Taisho Industrial as a shell, not to mention then turning around and taking a job with his biggest competitor, his father would’ve been remiss to allow him insider knowledge of their plans to acquire Hidecki Financial Group.

Sesshoumaru still didn’t understand what his father wanted with Hidecki. It was a very small fish in their shared pond; from what he could see, all it had going for it was the fact that it had an investment bank, which could potentially come in handy for future merger negotiations with bigger companies. He’d attempted to find out if SHK, comparable in size and market strength to Taisho Enterprises, had put out any feelers for the little holdings company, and thus far, had found nothing. Hidecki wasn’t trading high on the stock market, and, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be doing very modest business.

So what was the lure?

And did he really want to trust Inuyasha to find out?

The boy had proved himself to be little more than their father’s pretty pawn in the past, not to mention he’d been sliming his way back into Kagome’s good graces lately. There was little about his younger half-brother for Sesshoumaru to like, much less trust.

Still…

After printing off the retrieved emails, he deleted the program from the computer and turned his attention to another project, one he thought he’d never have to go back to. Digging out a flash drive, he looked through the meticulously dated folders for one, which held all the information on his first-year independent study project, the one he’d completed for first credits towards his master’s degree. For said project, he’d finished all of the background research and grunt work necessary to launch his own, independent trading company. He’d designed everything himself, from the prospectus to the website, and had received the highest possible marks for his work, along with an offhand recommendation from his advisor to hang on to the material, “just in case.” He’d never actually launched the website or put the company in play, but he was only a few mouse clicks away, if necessary.

Considering the knots currently twisting in his stomach, and the curiosity stoked by Inuyasha’s cryptic messages, it seemed like it might become very necessary indeed…

“Sorry I’m late!” Kagome lamented, gracing her dinner companion with a flirtatious smile.

Sesshoumaru couldn’t resist returning it, the corners of his mouth curving up as he gazed at her. “I didn’t think it was possible to be delayed by shopping,” he replied, before casting a pointed stare through the window at his left.

Kagome blushed prettily and waved off her friend, who was non-too-conspicuously watching them from a nearby bus bench. “Sorry,” she repeated. “She just wanted to make sure you weren’t a creep.”

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow as he opened his menu. The two were tucked into a side booth at the new Thai place near the library; he had spent his Sunday afternoon working at said library, while she had been out shopping with Sango. He had been surprised, but pleased, when she’d agreed to have dinner with him, especially considering he’d extended the invitation on a whim.

“So, may I ask, what happened last night that required a full day’s gossip session today?” he asked, by way of response, glancing over the top of his menu at his flatmate. Her cheeks were still pleasantly flushed, bringing out the warm tones of her skin, which complemented the dark sheen of her hair as well as the dusty rose of her lips.

She was watching him coyly. “Are you concerned?” she returned, her tone teasingly sweet. “Or just jealous?”

“Merely curious,” he replied calmly. She’d been out with her friends the night before, which had surprised him; she hadn’t lapsed into her party/whirlwind lifestyle since the start of the year – not that he begrudged her the chance to spend time with her friends.  She was far more social a creature than he, and he was well aware that she had taken the fallout between them much harder than he had, in isolating herself from said friends. He’d tried to assure himself that whatever had happened was a matter strictly between her and her little circle, but it always made him wary when he knew Inuyasha was involved…

The waiter arrived to take their order. Once their menus were taken away, Kagome reached for his hand across the table. “If you’re so curious,” she murmured softly, brushing her thumb over his fingers, “you’re welcome to come along next time.”

Warmth spread up the length of his arm from her touch. “I don’t think I’d be welcomed by everyone,” he replied.

Another blush rose to her cheeks, but her answer wasn’t the one he was expecting. “Sango’s just looking out for me. Once she gets to know you, she’ll like you.”

He closed his hand over hers, stilling her nervous fidgeting. “As reassuring as that is,” he mused sardonically, “she’s not the one I was referring to.”

Kagome averted her eyes. “I figured.”

His fingers curled around hers. “Look,” he said softly, meeting her gaze, “you can do whatever you want, with whomever you want.” He shrugged. “You’re not bound to me…we’re just friends.”

“Right,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes.

A patch of silence stretched out between them; he tightened his grip on her hand, as if to assure her that he also wasn’t going anywhere.

Their food arrived shortly thereafter, but still, neither one let go.

Kagome cleared her throat.  “So,” she tried again, her voice a bit brighter this time, “what have you been up to today?”

“Oh, the usual,” Sesshoumaru sighed. “Takeda is determined to bury me under an avalanche of busywork.  He’s made it quite clear that he hates my guts.”  He shrugged, picking up his chopsticks.  “The feeling is mutual.”

Kagome grimaced. “You’re not the only one,” she muttered sympathetically. “You have no idea how much fun it was to sit in interviews with him for three weeks. Never before have I wanted to gouge someone’s eyes out just for kicks.”

Sesshoumaru choked back a laugh. It was nice to hear that someone else felt the same way about him and his perceived power trips. “At least you don’t have him lording over you all day, every day,” he contended.

“No, my boss is pretty cool,” Kagome admitted, smiling again after swallowing a mouthful of food. “She lets us hang out anywhere in the building, as long as we get our routes finished on time.” She paused for a meaningful beat. “Anywhere.”

His heart began to pump a little faster. “Well, unfortunately, Takeda’s the reason…” he trailed off, allowing his gaze to fall to their still-joined hands. “He thinks you’re the only reason I’m there.”

She considered his words thoughtfully. “I suppose, in some ways, I am,” she replied with a slight shrug, trailing her thumb across the backs of his fingers. “After all, I’m the one who cast the deciding vote for your position.”

He looked up sharply, his eyes locking onto hers. “But you said you weren’t going to help me,” he sputtered incredulously. “Why – ?”

“Because you were the best choice for the job,” she interrupted, squeezing his hand.

Fuck Takeda, he swore silently, still gazing at Kagome in amazement.  Fuck him and the prejudicial horse he rode in on.

“Um,” she choked out, her face turning the color of ripe tomatoes under his intense study, “so Takeda’s work kept you busy all day? Damn, that’s a lot of work!”

“Well, no,” he admitted, dropping his eyes to his food. “I’m also reviving an old project of my own.”

She latched onto the idea, only too happy to move past the awkwardness of the moment. “Oh yeah?”

He nodded, spearing a piece of meat with one of his chopsticks.  “I have reason to suspect that my father is up to something, and I simply want to be prepared.”

“Care to share?” she asked, leaning forward in a conspiratorial manner, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

He shrugged. “You’re just going to have to trust me,” he replied.

Her expression closed slightly. “Don’t you trust me?”

He lifted his now-loaded chopsticks to his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before answering. “Have you given me a reason not to?”

She sat back in her seat, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she ate. The waiter came back, clearing their dishes – a move which finally forced their hands apart – and left the check.  They continued to sit at the table for a few moments after paying; Sesshoumaru found himself growing slightly uncomfortable under her assessing stare.

“I wonder about you sometimes,” Kagome finally said, sliding out of the booth and picking up her shopping bags.

When no explanation was forthcoming, Sesshoumaru couldn’t resist drawing her out. “How do you mean?” he asked, holding the door of the restaurant open for her.

When they were both out on the sidewalk, she surprised him by suddenly turning around, dropping her bags to her sides, and pressing her mouth to his.  His entire body rocked with surprise, but – mercifully – she lingered long enough to let him respond.  As his hands found her waist, she pulled away, her smile as enigmatic as her previous statement had been. “So there is a man lurking under that façade,” she whispered coyly.

Before he could respond, another voice sliced through the air.

“Hey! We need to talk.”

The pair turned, Sesshoumaru taking a step forward as the unwelcome interloper drew closer to their spot on the sidewalk. “What the hell do you want?” he sneered coldly, clenching his hands into fists.

Inuyasha cast a glance at Kagome before facing his brother again. “Like I said – we need to talk.”