Not Soon Forgotten by iloveprettysilverhair

Chapter 1

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own An Affair to Remember, which is the inspiration for this story.  Nope, DO NOT OWN THEM AT ALL.

I wrote this story a while ago and just haven't posted it until now.  It's one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy it!

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News Commentator:  Well fellas, I have some fantastic news for all of us men who have ever had a hard time getting a date.  Sesshoumaru Taisho, one of the most infamous men among women, is now off the market!  That's right, he won't be taking the ladies' attention from us anymore, this time it's marriage for him!

The lucky young lady?  Miss Kagura Wind, who will be meeting up with him once he arrives in New York from his cruise.  A company merger and eight hundred million dollars is what this arrangement is worth!  Hell, for eight hundred million I would marry a spider!

The news is spreading quickly all around the globe, this should be an unforgettable event!  Congratulations go out to the happy couple!

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The cruise ship was prominent, with people of all social standing gracing its decks.  The lights were dim, giving off a romantic feel while the large boat rocked gently from side to side.  A tall figure dressed in a business suit walked along the deck, trying to blend into the shadows as much as he could.  One such as him however, could never escape the eyes of anyone; his presence alone screamed power.

Many of the passengers were gathering in the hall for dinner, leaving stragglers to roam the nearly deserted deck.  The man dressed in the pricy suit noticed that a young man was dashing back and forth from passenger to passenger asking for mister Taisho, getting nothing but negative answers in reply.

The young man ran towards a gentleman not far from where he stood.

"Taisho-sama?" he asked.

"No, I am not him," replied the gentleman before he eagerly asked, "Is he here on board with us?"

The young man smiled and walked off again without offering an answer, but his silence gave more than enough away.  Sesshoumaru, seeing the messenger coming his way and in no mood to answer any questions, began to move up the stairs to the second deck before the young man decided to stop and ask him.  He almost got away scott free when...

"Taisho-sama?" the young man's voice sounded.

Mentally sighing, Sesshoumaru moved back down the steps slowly and made his way to the boy.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Sesshoumaru asked.

The young man shifted under the piercing gaze of this powerful man.  "T-there's a phone call for you from Tokyo."

Sesshoumaru nodded and the young messenger turned in the other direction and quickly fled.  In his absence, a small hoard of middle-aged women took their place around him.

"You're THE Taisho-sama?!" one of them screeched.

"Indeed," he replied coolly in his trademark baritone voice.

"Can we-can we have your autograph?!  Signed 'with love'?" another swooned while the others stared dreamy-eyed at him.

"I am afraid I will have to take a rain check on that, I have a very urgent phone call awaiting me.  Now, if you'll excuse me..." he slightly nodded his head and left the group of love sick women.

This was something that happened to him wherever he went.  Women would flock around him with visions of passion-filled nights floating across their eyes.  Most were drawn to his fortune and fame and some even had the silly notion of love leave their lips while addressing him.  Perhaps marriage would finally keep the crowds at bay and give him time to himself.

Making his way to the phone booth on deck, Sesshoumaru picked up the receiver.

"Taisho speaking."

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard!  How could you do this to me?!" screamed a woman on the other end.

"Come now Kikyo, why the dramatics?  I thought I was only your plaything?" he questioned haughtily.

Ah Kikyo, one of his faithful lovers.  She once was married to his brother, but the woman was quick to shift her preferences when his father passed on, leaving Sesshoumaru the heir to his company.  Who was he to deny someone that thought he was better than his brother Inuyasha?  Kikyo was willing and able, and...convenient.

"How dare you tell me you love me and tell me all the things you did, and now, what?!  You're getting married!  Do you not remember what you told me when I gave you that antique pocket knife as a gift?   I even had it engraved!"

"Kikyo do not be foolish, I never spoke of love to you; that was a silly notion that you conjured up yourself."

"You are such a bastard!  I cannot believe you!  I hope your ship sinks!"

Having heard quite enough of Kikyo's ranting for one night, Sesshoumaru took drastic measures.

"Kikyo, find another- -hello, hello?  Can you hear me?  The phone must be disconnected."

Kikyo was not fooled by Sesshoumaru's attempt to end the phone call and began a new tirade.

"We are not disconnected you arrogant, self-serving-"

With a slight smirk, Sesshoumaru hung up in the middle of her angry outburst.  He stuck his hands in his pockets when he realized that the pocket knife that Kikyo gave him was missing.  With a sigh and a slight shake of his head, Sesshoumaru decided that it would be best to find the knife.  It would not do for that to end up on an auction sight; it had his name written on it.

He turned around in the booth and was a bit startled to see the five women that had surrounded him earlier pressing themselves against the glass to get a better look at him.  With an uncomfortable nod of his head, he walked out of the booth and began his search.

"Ah Taisho-sama, Taisho-sama!" bellowed a stout looking man. 

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to acknowledge the man.

"Taisho-sama, my name is Myoga-Myoga Nakamura and this is my wife Mrs. Nakamura.  It is an honor to meet you as well as to be traveling with you..."

"Indeed..." Sesshoumaru half-heartedly replied.  Would no one leave him alone during this trip?  The man, Myoga, and his wife were looking at him adoringly.  He always got these stares.  Everyone wanted to be his "friend".

"Well Taisho-sama, we were just going to join a game of poker and we would be delighted if you would come with us; it would be an honor!"

"As much as-" Sesshoumaru began before he was interrupted.

"-I'm sure you would have such a wonderful time Taisho-sama, and our friends would be honored with your company!  Why, you could play with us every night!  It would be-"

"-An honor, I know," Sesshoumaru breathed.  "You wouldn't want me to join you, though, I cheat."

Without another word or glance, Sesshoumaru hurried away from the confused couple to continue his less than fruitful search for his pocket knife.  He passed many more people during his search, yet no one had seen his trinket.  However, he did find a slip of paper in his pocket with a room number on it from a woman who had "accidentally" tripped into him.

Needless to say he was not in the best of moods when two hours later he had not yet found his pocket knife.  Most of the passengers had already decided to turn in for the night, so it was rather pointless to continue his search when he could be taking this time to enjoy the usually crowded deck for himself.

He walked along the railing of the boat, glancing here and there to view the scenery.  He came across a large opening that looked into a hallway which led to the rooms and spotted a woman carrying his lost item.

"Excuse me miss," he said politely.

"Yes?  Can I help you?" she replied.

At first glance Sesshoumaru noticed that this woman had the most piercing and unique blue eyes that he had ever seen.  Her dark black hair contrasted her eyes wonderfully, and with the moonlight dancing across her face, she almost seemed ethereal.  Not many women caught his attention at first pass, not even his fiancé.  He caught himself staring at her and noticed that she had raised her eyebrow at him, obviously waiting for him to continue.

Sesshoumaru gave himself a mental shake and placed his stoic mask back into place where it belonged.  How could he let a woman bewitch him so?  There were indeed plenty of them to go around, and she was no doubt just like the other gold digging women.

Clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru continued.  "I believe you have my pocket knife," he said as he pointed to the object in her hand.  "I would like it back."

The woman smirked at him while giving him a quick once-over.  She noticed his long silver hair which was tied up neatly in a low ponytail.  His eyes were a striking amber that she had only seen once before, and on his face lay two maroon stripes on both cheeks and a blue crescent moon in the middle of his forehead.  There was no doubt that he was probably one of the most attractive men that she had ever seen.

He was very nicely dressed and when he reached out for his knife, she noticed that his hands were adorned with claws as well as a set of stripes on his wrist.  She put on a mirror image of his stoic face and brought her hands over her heart.

"I guess I should confess.  You see, I have a bit of a problem with stealing; some would call me a kleptomaniac," she sighed in mock exasperation.

Sesshoumaru eyed the woman in front of him.  He could easily pinpoint the lie; just what was she getting at?

"I don't believe you," he stated.

The woman sighed; obviously he was not going to play along.

"Alright, if you must know I was taking it to lost and found," she said as she started to hand it to him.  "I found it when-wait.  How do I know it is really yours?"

Sesshoumaru looked over the woman again.  For a minute there he thought she would give it to him, no questions asked.  He was both impressed and a bit annoyed that she would not just give him his belonging.  However, he decided to indulge her and cure her of her hesitations.

"There is an inscription on the side of the casing," he told her.

"Hm," she mumbled as she turned over the knife to look for the engraving.  Deciding to have a bit of fun, she started to read it aloud.  "To my dearest Sesshoumaru-hold on," she started.  She looked up at him from looking at the knife and raised her eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you're the famous Sesshoumaru Taisho?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her.  He knew it, now it was only a matter of time before she decided to throw herself at him, pleading with him to whisk her away and whisper sweet nothings to her into the night.

"Indeed I am.  Now if you don't mind-" Sesshoumaru snipped as he once again reached out for his knife.  However, she pulled away and continued talking as if he never said anything.

"I've seen and read so much about you!  Let me see, now was it in People Magazine or Fortune 500?" she absently questioned.

He dropped his arm back down to his side and gave her a smirk, "Neither, I believe it was Women's Magazine."

She smiled and blushed.  "Oh."

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and eyed her hand, "Now, may I have my pocket knife back?"

The woman gave a mischievous grin and turned her back toward him as she began to read the engraving silently to herself.  After a second or so, she twirled back around to face him with a dark blush adorning her cheeks.

"This is very intimate," she started.  "However, I only know a little bit of English; apparently enough to be embarrassed though.  Would you mind translating-not in complete detail-what it says?"

"I do not believe that is any of your business," he said as he straightened his spine.

The woman rolled her eyes and handed him his knife.  He apparently was not the playful type.  She started to walk away when she heard him speak.

"In English?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" the woman questioned in return.

"Would you like me to translate it in English?" he clarified.

She smiled and took a step back toward him.  "In Japanese please."

"In essence, the engraving reads, 'To remembering the three glorious nights on 'The Kikyo'," he said before quickly adding, "That's the name of her yacht."

There was a silence that followed his translation and they continued to stare at each other with similar deadpan faces.  After a while Sesshoumaru broke the silence.

"Does that sate your curiosity?"

"It does.  I might even write a song about it.  How does 'Moonlight over the Kikyo' sound?  Do you think it'll be a hit?"

He stared at her blankly and gave her no answer as he watched her shake her head.

"I guess not," the woman said as she walked away.

The woman was odd.  She had a very playful streak about her that he very rarely ever found.  She did not throw herself at him as he expected her to do, like so many other women had; nor did she cower before him like so many business people had done.  She merely joked and engaged him in semi-intelligent conversation before leaving him alone.  This piqued his curiosity; maybe he found someone to talk to during the trip.

He quickly followed after her, but lost sight of the woman when she disappeared behind a door.  Sesshoumaru opened the door and stepped inside to look for her, but found no trace of the woman that had garnered his attention.

He straightened himself up and fixed his tie.  Just what was he doing following after some woman like a lost puppy; he did not need anyone to be his companion there.  And even if he did, he could easily seek out one of the many women on this ship that would no doubt jump at the chance to...keep him company.

Sesshoumaru walked back out the door and then stopped in his tracks.  Did he really want to let just any woman be his source of entertainment?  Surely not.  He had then done a thorough job of confusing himself; did he want to find this woman or didn't he? 

He started to pace the deck just outside of the door that the woman had disappeared behind.  He was so caught up in his musings that he did not notice when the woman in question had reappeared and was now watching him tread back and forth.

"Are you alright?  Did you lose it again?" she asked, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru stopped his motions and turned to face her.  She was smiling at him, obviously amused by his actions.  Well, at least she would keep him entertained.

"You see, I have a bit of a dilemma," he started.

"Oh?  Well, I could have told you that-" the woman began.

He continued talking, determined not to let this woman get the better of him.  "I am in need of someone to speak with."

"You wouldn't want to talk to me; I've been told I talk a lot.  It's something I'm working on, really."

"That very well may be, but you seem to be someone that I can trust," Sesshoumaru said.

The woman gave him a skeptical look.  Perhaps now he wanted to be playful?  Well, she couldn't say that she was disappointed; she didn't know anyone on the ship and there was still a while before the docked in America.  She crossed her arms over her chest and replied.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Sesshoumaru smirked: hook, line, and sinker.  He gently took hold of her arm and started to lead her away.

"Come," he stated.

The woman glanced at him and saw the determined look on his face.  Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

"You know," the woman began, "there are many other people aboard this ship, the messenger boy seems to be an honest person as well, perhaps one of them might be just as good to talk to."

Sesshoumaru did not answer her, but continued to lead her down the hallways of the ship.  He was not even sure where he was going, he just knew that this woman was going to accompany him during the trip.  He stopped along a corridor and looked both left and right.

"My room or yours?" he asked.

The woman was a bit taken aback.  Surely he did not think that she was going to give him that kind of company.  Was he really that arrogant?

"I don't think that that's appropriate, Taisho-sama," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her and all but snarled.

"You dare question my honor?  Believe me woman your virtue will remain intact.  If you do not wish to keep me company than please say so now before I waste any more of my time or yours."

That she did not expect.  Had she hurt his feelings?

"Please, I apologize Taisho-sama; your question just startled me is all.  We can go to my cabin, it's not too far from here," the woman stated, trying to make up to him.

He nodded and allowed her to lead him to her room which ended up only being a few doors down from where they were.  She fumbled a bit with her key, but eventually was able to keep her hands from shaking enough to unlock the door.  The woman opened it for him and extended her arm as an invitation to enter.

Sesshoumaru nodded his thanks and walked gracefully into her room.  It was a bit smaller than his, but nonetheless looked much like his own room.  The walls were colored a light coral shade and the only other door led to the bathroom.  There was a small couch underneath a porthole, and a bed with a table next to it.  He placed his hands in his pockets and continued his distracted search of her room.

The woman lightly cleared her throat in an effort to gain his attention. 

"Look, it's not that I'm a prude, it's just that I don't usually invite strange men into my cabin and although you are famous, I'm afraid that you fall into that category as well.  I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier."

"It is of no consequence," Sesshoumaru replied, not stopping his inspection.  "What is your name?"

"Ka-Kagome Higurashi, and before you ask, yes, I am traveling alone."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement.  "I must say Kagome Higurashi, that you have spared me a lot of trouble tonight."

"I have?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, you have," Sesshoumaru stated; deciding it was time to up the charm.  "You see, I was on the verge of being bored to death until you came along and I was really rather surprised that I had yet to see an attractive female on this ship.  When I saw you, you immediately put two of my problems to rest."

Oh, he was good.  Just not good enough.

"Hm, has that line ever worked on anyone, or would it surprise me just how many it has indeed worked on?" Kagome questioned.

Sesshoumaru genuinely smiled at her, glad to have a sharp mind around him.  "You would surely be surprised, and unfortunately, you did not go for it as I thought you would."

"You jerk, is that supposed to be an insult?  Because I can dish them out just about as good as I can take them," Kagome challenged.

"I have no doubt that you could, Kagome Higurashi," Sesshoumaru said with a chuckle.

"I know that I can, and I will.  Does your bride-to-be know the owner of the yacht 'The Kikyo'?"

He scowled a bit at this, but decided to answer her nonetheless.  "Indeed she does, it was her best friend.  Of course, that has since then been remedied."

"Of course it has," she said as she rolled her eyes.  "My, aren't you all a tight-knit little group."

Sesshoumaru walked over to the small sofa and took a seat next to her.  Kagome worried her bottom lip a little and glanced over at the table next to her where a bouquet of roses sat.  Sesshoumaru followed her gaze and then looked back to her.

"Are those from your husband?" he asked.

"No, I'm not married.  They are, however, from my boyfriend," she clarified.

Sesshoumaru nodded and once again there was a pregnant silence between them.  Kagome nervously twiddled her thumbs in her lap and nearly jumped when Sesshoumaru spoke again.

"Is he wealthy?" he asked trying to make small talk.

"Not that that's any of your business," she said mimicking his earlier words, "but yes, he is."

"If you don't mind my asking, where is he now?"

"He's in Los Angeles, California," she answered.

"Is he there on business or pleasure?" Sesshoumaru continued.

"Well, it's a bit hard to explain, but he moved to California from Tokyo after a separation.  And, well, his divorce is being worked through in Los Angeles; it was the closest office that would help him with all of the long distance paperwork."

"I see.  So why is it that you did not move with him?"

"Full of questions aren't you?" she asked, running a hand through her hair.

"I guess I am, but I am a naturally curious person," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Well, he wanted me to go with him, but decided that it would be best if I stayed away while all of this went through.  Divorces can be a bit messy."

"I suppose that makes sense," Sesshoumaru said a bit disbelievingly.  "I don't suppose he would approve of you having a drink with me?"

"I don't believe he would," Kagome said with a small smile.

"Of course not.  He must have a lot of trust in you, allowing you to travel alone all the way from Japan."

"I'm a big girl I can take care of myself.  And yes, he does trust me; quite a bit actually."

"How long have the two of you been together?"

"Not very long, only a few months.  But you can imagine how...attractive he is if I can turn down someone such as yourself Taisho-sama."

Sesshoumaru nodded, his ego just a bit bruised, as he stood to go.  "I guess that is my cue to take my leave."

"I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you, please that was not my intention."

Sesshoumaru snorted a little at that; him, embarrassed?  Please.  His ego trip had just landed was all, and if he left now, he might be able to take some of his dignity with him.

"I am not embarrassed.  Surely there will be other times when we can meet; there's always poker with Mr. Nakamura and his lovely wife," he said a bit disgustedly.  "We could always go for a swim, or play shuffle board.  Unless you would-"

"Like to have dinner with you?" Kagome asked quickly, filling in the blank before he could.

Sesshoumaru smirked and stopped his movement to the door.  "Yes," he agreed, "unless you would like to have dinner with me."

Kagome smiled and blushed a little at her boldness.  "I'd love to," she said with her eyes a bit down cast.

Sesshoumaru took her hand in his and placed a light kiss on the back of her hand which earned him an even darker blush.

"Until tomorrow then.  I will be here at seven to escort you to the dining hall."

"Alright, until tomorrow," she agreed.

Sesshoumaru bowed slightly and took leave of her room.  This should be interesting; she would definitely give him a challenge to look forward to.  He was quite pleased that he met her.  She was witty, quick, and also quite beautiful.  He could not have asked for a better companion to keep him company on this trip.

Kagome dropped onto her bed and put her hand to her cheek; did she just agree to go to dinner with Sesshoumaru Taisho?

"Oh Kami I just agreed to go to dinner with Sesshoumaru Taisho," she said to herself. 

Without dressing for bed, she turned the light off and covered herself with her blanket.  This should be a very interesting cruise. 

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Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed this first chapter :)

Regard me kindly; reviews are always welcome and appreciated!

Until next time...