Broken Promises by Oroyukae

At The Start Of It All

DISCLAIMER ; I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA , NOR THE CHARACTERS......THEY BELONG TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI. i DO NOT MAKE ANY PROFIT FROM MY WORK .

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AUTHORS' NOTE:

THIS STORY IS BEING WRITTEN FOR MY FRIEND KNIFETHROWER. YOU HAVE BEEN MOST ENCOURAGING TO ME IN MY WRITING AND IT IS MOST APPRECIATED. I HOPE THIS IS TO YOUR LIKING....ENJOY CHICA!!!!!!

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She sat in the small office staring off into nothingness and trying hard not to think of the two other women present. Her mind faded in and out in an attempt to occupy itself while she waited for them to call her name. The other women whispered among themselves - their eyes darting toward her and back again. She was used to it , being talked about. It had become a commonality of sorts.

Her phone vibrated and she hit the ignore button without even glancing at the screen to see who it was ..she knew it was him . It was what he did. He called her every day at the same times to keep tabs on her. He - for whatever reason , had to know her exact whereabouts at all times it seemed. Probably so there was no way she could catch him off guard ...again. Not that he really cared any way , he seemed proud of his many and frequent indiscretions and would sometimes even tell her about them just to humiliate her. The bastard.

Well , she wasn't in the mood for him and his smooth as silk voice. It was his fault she was there in the first place . Pig. After she placed her phone back into her pocket , she leaned her head backward and closed her eyes. He would be angry at her for ignoring his call , and he was sure to punish her for it in some way. It was nothing new to her , she was used to his cruelty too- he just went about it differently than others.....being creative in his torturing her.

She sighed heavily , turning her head to the side. It hadn't always been like that between them , no- he had hid his dark , malicious side well. He lulled her into a false sense of security , drew her into his intricate - twisted web of deceit and then.....bam! It had been far too late for her by then.

Three years later and there she was sitting alone, in a doctors' office awaiting test results , and him nowhere to be found. Oh , it wasn't like she did not know where to find the lying , conniving, cheating dog...[ yes, she knew , she had for some time ] , all she had to do was follow the trail of used condoms . She was amused at her ability to remain as flippant about it as she was . Again...used to it.

Kagome allowed her mind to wander even more , to travel back in time..back to when she was naïve and ignorant , believing in the existence of true love and in fairy tales in which the damsel and the white knight would live happily ever after...ugh! Reality had taught her otherwise and she wished that she would have found it out long ago. To the unsuspecting bystander , theirs was the perfect life and that they were happy and content. Boy did they deserve awards for that . Of course , he did make it very clear that she was never , ever to let on otherwise or she would most definately pay for it.

She heard one of the women giggle and inwardly she cringed. Perhaps one of the gossiping bitches was one of the whores he had bedded at some point. The odds were good. She had run into them before and though they had either been paid handsomely for their silence or threatened with possible certain death [ whatever was more effective ] they always managed to let her know that they knew.

Time was dragging by , giving her ample opportunity to reflect on just what had went wrong in her lie to get her where she was. Her mind went hazy , a fine mist clouded her thoughts and she was transported back to when it began...the hell that was her life had sparked and ignited the embers the grew into the raging and out of control inferno that was consuming her .

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Kagome stepped outside , checking her pockets for her keys and glancing around to get a feel for her surroundings. It was rapidly growing dark , though there was still at least an hour to go before dusk. She reached inside her bag for her trusty umbrella , but came up with nothing. Her frustration grew as she tried once again , but still nothing. She tilted her head upward and sniffed , yep...rain. Perfect.

Her car was a few blocks down and already it was beginning to sprinkle. She thought that maybe if she quickened her pace - she could make it before it got too bad and she made her legs obey her and moved more swiftly. It seemed to her that the more she hurried , the harder the rain came down - intent on drenching her thoroughly. She cursed many things then , the first being not having worn a jacket that day....her arms were freezing .

 Then there was the fact that her expensive silk dress would definately be ruined by the rain. She silently groaned as she recalled just how much said dress had cost her. A month's salary had bought the thing and now...it was nothing more than a cleaning rag.The poor woman gasped in shock from the barrage of icy droplets that landed directly down the cut of her dress and into her bra. For the love of gods , couldn't it have waited until she was at her car at least?

As if in answer to her angry silent question ...the rain began to come down in sheets. Oh , yeah...great. Her right foot came down at an awkward angle and she almost slipped and fell but she managed to stop herself and regain her footing. Just as she was ready to let loose with a fierce growl of fury for her rotten luck...the rain seemed to cease. She could still hear it but not feel it. Her brow knitted together in confusion and she opened her tightly shut eyes , wanting to know just how it was possible. She had not been prepared for what she saw with her deep blue eyes and she gasped - her breath hitching in her throat.

There before her disbelieving eyes was the most gorgeous , most hottest male specimen her eyes had ever had the pleasure of beholding in her life. Eyes of deep amber gazed down at her - dancing in mild amusement at her astounded expression , and she was lost. She was lost in the intriguing depths and she realized .....she was not too certain that she wanted to be found......ever. She was barely aware of the deep chuckle that sounded from him , but fully cognizant of the deep rich baritone of his voice and it's effect on her tiny person.

" You were caught unprepared.....do you not listen to the weather? The forecast left no room for doubt."

She blinked up at him several times stupidly , her voice deserted her and she was struck at a loss. The man stood waiting patiently for her to respond , his head held high but his eyes looking down at her intently. When it became obvious she was not capable of conversation at that moment - he switched hands that held his umbrella high above them and shoved his right hand into his pocket.

" Is your vehicle close by ?" he asked her , thinking that time he would get some sort of answer out of her.

She squeaked when she tried to say just where her car was, a deep blush rose up on her cheeks for her oh so high school reaction to him. In all fairness though , no boys  in her old school had ever looked like that. Not even close.Her voice had deserted her and she had to resort to pointing off down the street in the direction of her car , much to her embarrassment.

The very gallant stranger lifted his head and looked off in the direction she indicated , not very precise - but better than nothing. With a nod and a slight bow , he offered to escort her to her vehicle so that she could continue on with the benefit of him being prepared. She blinked again and he gave her a small smile , " If you are ready ?" That time he got a nod from her. At least her legs were still in functioning order - she quickly found that out hen they began walking side by side.

She stole quick side glances at him as they walked - making mental notes of everything about him. He was tall , very tall in fact. She guessed him at six four - maybe five....a veritable giant compared to her meager five feet seven inches. He was youkai - a demon if you will , it was as plain on the nose on her face. The magenta stripes that graced his eyelids - cheeks , and wrists [ not to mention the blue crescent moon on his forehead ] , were the dead giveaway. Paired with the massive powerful aura that surrounded his person...definitely a Daiyoukai. His silver hair looked so luxuriously soft and silky , even if it was pulled back into a low ponytail , and she felt her fingers flex as if longing to run through it's length.

Kagome could not help but notice his designer suit and how it seemed to be made just for him with how it accentuated the finely toned body it concealed from her. She swallowed discreetly as her mouth had begun to water just thinking of that toned body hovering above her as she writhed in pleasure.' Stop it ' , she mentally chastised herself.

He was aware that she was studying him , and it did not bother him.....he was used to being ogled as a piece of meat at the market. Women could not help themselves when in his presence - they were helpless to resist both his male beauty nor his natural charisma. They were women after all . The tiny slip of a thing there beside him was intriguing to him , however. He had been drawn to her as he witnessed her paying for her own shortcomings as she stood looking much the drowned kitten caught in a storm with no options for immediate cover. Usually he never concerned himself with the plights of others , but she had pulled him to her somehow.

" What is your name?" he asked tonelessly - half wanting to know and half just testing to see if she had yet regained the use of her tongue. She did.

" My n-name? Kagome....Kagome Higurashi." her voice sounded a bit high pitched , but at least she spoke. He just nodded and continued to walk , his umbrella effectively keeping the rain off them as they did.

She noticed he wasn't much of a talker and so , she remained quiet out of respect . She was just grateful that he had been so kind as to offer her his assistance. She suppressed a shudder as she was reminded just how wet she was , and how cold the air had become. She jumped a little when she felt something rest upon her shoulders and looked to her left , spying his jacket. He had apparently managed to remove it and place it on her without breaking stride. The residual heat of his body warmed her chilled frame .

" Thank you for your kindness , it is greatly appreciated." she replied softly , knowing he heard her when his stoic mask he was wearing slipped for just an instant and a small smile shone briefly in its place.

" Do you see your vehicle yet?"

Her eyes scanned the darkening street , illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlamps that started to turn on. Once more she pointed and he spied a small silver subcompact not far from them. It fit her.

He steered her toward it and soon they were standing beside her car , taking out her keys to unlock the door. Kagome gasped as he leaned in...fearing that he was attempting to kiss her and she shrank back into the side of the vehicle. The demon cast her a side glance , his eyes flashed momentarily and leaned even farther- his hand grasping the door handle. He was only opening the car door for her. She was so embarrassed , she blushed crimson.

The still silent being took her bag from her to set it inside the car , then took her hand in his. Kagome climbed into her car, her eyes never leaving his , and she was pleasantly shocked when he raised said hand to his lips and kissed it. As he stood upright , his fingers grasped his jacket and slipped it from her and laid it over his left arm. It ended with him closing the door.

He turned after staring at he through her rain speckled window , starting to walk off. " Hey!"

He stopped but did not turn back to her, merely waited for her to speak. " Can I have your name?" she asked loudly , though it was unnecessary to do so.

He turned and looked at her , his eyes an even deeper shade of amber than before , " Sesshoumaru." was all he said before turning and slowly walking off into the dark rain.

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The sound of a nurse opening the door and calling a name broke her reverie , even though it was not her name being called. Kagome sighed and adjusted herself in her seat , She couldn't help but glance at her watch out of habit , she had nowhere to be really. Not anymore.Now she had all the time in the world .

She should have seen it coming , in all honesty , it should have been obvious to her.- but she had been so blinded by her own naitivity. She had been deceived from day one and she would spend eternity chastising herself for falling for the lies and the illusion intricately weaved by he whom she had dared to believed capable of love and honesty. The words made her want to laugh....and cry. She wouldn't though. She wouldn't shed another tear over him , she had shed too many already in the three years she knew him. Three years. Didn't seem like such a long time really - if you thought about it , but if you added up all the damage he had done to her in that relatively short amount of time.....it seemed much , much longer.

Oh , it wasn't entirely all his fault , she was aware of that fact. She had had a hand in it as well , that was one fact she could not deny. She had allowed it to go on for as long as it had. She had wanted to believe him - in him , she had wanted it so badly that she would sometimes experience actual physical pain from it. She lost countless hours of sleep because of it , waiting up for him to return , contemplating possible reasons for his behavior and always deeming it her fault.....it had to be , he was perfect in every way - it couldn't possibly be his fault. He did no wrong .

Kagome chuckled softly to herself , if she had a nickel for every time she had said ' No dear , it's my fault - I am to blame , you did nothing wrong . ' , she would have amassed a tidy small fortune . She glanced at her watch yet again then reclined her head back once more. If only she had listened to the voices inside her in the beginning , she would have turned him down from the word go. But , sadly , she hadn't. She silenced those words of warning almost instantly under the desperate and pathetic beliefs that she had finally found her prince charming....the one that would whisk her away into the happily ever after to spend the rest of her days forever cherished , protected and loved beyond her wildest dreams. Stupidity knows no bounds....especially hers.

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She thought about her mystery man named Sesshoumaru the entire night, His eyes haunted her thoughts as she went about her routine , the way it felt when he kissed her hand made her blush every time she recalled it [ which was a lot] , and the deep sensualness of his baritone voice did very mean things to her tiny person. Never had she been so affected by a male before. Just being near him had had her wanting to fall down at his feet and pledging her undying devotion to him.

He had not given her his full name [ probably due to bad experiences in the past with amorous females tracking him down ] and she had not asked - his first had been enough. Sesshoumaru....sounded so regal . Maybe he was royalty ? He could be from the way he carried himself....nah , he couldn't be . Royalty would never be walking alone near dusk on a poorly lit city street of the mid level business district, in the rain. Royalty would not take pity on some commoner stupid enough to forget her umbrella and share theirs with her. Still though , he did have a way about him . Something that seemed so very familiar that it was eerie...she just could not put her finger on it. Kagome dismissed that notion quickly for there was no possible way she knew him .....she would definitely remember that.Something told her that he was not a being to be easily forgotten.

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The next day she walked around in a sort of daze , remembering him. She had tried to keep her mind on her work , but it was so very difficult. He would pop into her head every chance he got , which was constantly. She wanted to find him and thank him properly for his assistance the day before, maybe with a nice dinner. Kagome wrinkled her nose at that , someone of his caliber would never agree to something so ...plain. That bit of reality put a quick damper on her fantasy of impressing him with her culinary talents. He was used to five star resturaunts and would never sully his palate with anything she could make. No , that prince in Armani was beyond her reach and she was just being silly.

When she arrived back from lunch though , she was treated to a surprise that she never would have thought possible. While she dined a mere two blocks away at her favorite little bistro , a package had been delivered to her desk via courier and her co worker , Sango signed for it. It was wrapped in plain paper and only her name printed upon the brown covering. Sango hovered around her desk , waiting for her to open it- dying from curiosity apparently and she hounded the dark haired girl to open it. Kagome had intended to save it for when she got home but her friend was relentless and finally she gave in , just to get some peace.

Inside the long slender package was something that made her both laugh and smile simultaneously. There was a note attached to the box under the wrapping , something she found a bit weird - most notes are put on the outside of the wrapping. It said ' Now , you are prepared.' , and when she opened the box , there was an umbrella .

It was quite nice , white and blue with silver accents , and she could not help the laugh that escaped her and earned her a quizzical stare from many a co worker. Of course Sango began asking her what the joke was and Kagome filled her in on how she came to receive such an odd gift. Upon telling her the strangers' name she asked her friend if she knew of any Daiyoukais' with such a name , Sango had not. Another sigh.

Kagome left work that evening , her handsome and thoughtful stranger still in her thoughts , much as he had been all day , and she wondered if him sending her the umbrella meant she would see him again. Surely he did not make a habit out of sending women gifts with no intentions of ....oh for the love of gods, she was an idiot. Was she really daring to think that he would actually be trying to initiate something with his simply giving her an umbrella? Can you say delusional? There was no way in hell he was doing anything of the sorts , not someone like him - and definitely not with someone like her. She was definitely trying to read more into it than there was.

Then , as if a sign from the Kamis themselves , a sudden shower began to fall - threatening to soak her from head to toe. Kagome cursed silently as she dug into her trusty carry all and located her apparently well timed gift. She knitted her brow..... The forecast had not called for rain. With a shrug she started for her car , staying dry and relatively warm under her new umbrella. Somewhere , not far away , amber eyes flashed in amusement and interest - watching her every move with satisfaction while she made her way to her vehicle.

" Will there be anything else Lord Sesshoumaru ?" the voice was soft and even .

Slowly his silver head shook , " No Shikikko , that will be all. Your assistance is appreciated and will be rewarded accordingly. Go now." his words were deep in tone and his eyes flashed as he continued to watch the girl drive off.

Shikikko bowed low in respect and thanked him for his praise before her long elegant form disappeared from his sight. He was left standing alone , staring off at nothing in particular. The weather witch had been most helpful in his plan for the raven haired human girl. Very helpful indeed. Things were going just as he wanted and soon - very soon , she would be graced with his presence once more. He found her very intriguing to say the least , not like all the other women he had encountered. That perplexed him greatly - how a human girl could have captured his attention so completely.

When he had seen her the previous evening , soaked to the skin and trying to seek shelter from the cold downpour , he had been compelled to render his assistance [ something he never had before] . He had been unable to stop himself as he slowly stalked behind her , watching her , and when she nearly fell he almost reached out to catch her- but she caught herself. He had not cared for the way her aura flared , but he approached her anyway and that was when her knew...he had to have her. The way she gazed up at him , her azure orbs wide in awe as she looked at him , it only solidified his resolve to get her no matter what he had to do. There was something about her that called to him, though he was yet to discover what it was.

The gift he had sent to her was meant as a test of sorts. If she accepted it , he could continue to pursue the enchanting creature. If she did not , then he would have had to find another way to gain her attention. He had deliberately withheld his surname from her...it was too soon for that. She would find out soon enough if things went as he wanted. That one name brought much weight with it - weight he could do without for the time being. For the moment , she would only know him as ' Sesshoumaru ' , nothing more.

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She heard nothing for several days from her thoughtful mysterious stranger , but it did not mean he was not in her thoughts. In fact he frequented them regularly and the young woman found herself very distracted in her life - to say the least. She could not help it , he was that intriguing. Every time she recalled his deep amber eyes , she would get all warm inside and a soft smile would cross her face.

It did not matter where she was , he would just pop into her head unannounced - but very welcome nonetheless [ she could be plagued with less pleasing thoughts after all ] . As it was , it was really no shock he had invaded her waking hours for he had already taken up permanent residence in her nocturnal ones since he appeared in her life that cold wet evening. She could still feel him warm lips when they kissed her hand and she always blushed from the thoughts that always entered her mind then. Gods , what was wrong with her? She was acting as if she had never had been around a man before. It was ridiculous.

Still though , she had never encountered one like him . Oh no , never. It was a little disheartening that he had only given her his first name , as it was almost impossible to find him in such a big city [ even if she was positive that there were not many beings with such a name as his ] and she was but one , small human woman in search of a powerful Daiyoukai. Such beings could remain forever hidden if they desired.

Her morning was quite promising to her as she had been fortunate to get a parking spot close to her work for once [yay!] and her walk to the office had been very short as a direct result. Her spirits were high and she could not help but spread it around to her co workers .

Golden orbs glinted from behind black lenses to see her smiling as she walked from her car toward the office....following her every move until she disappeared in the door and he could once more concentrate on what needed to be done. He chuckled softly to himself and started his car - pulling out in front of another vehicle and earning himself a rude gesture , but he paid no mind to the furious insignificant driver - they did not matter. He was a demon with a plan and it did not include any of them . He reached out and clicked on the radio , switching to the c d player and his car was filled with soothing classical tones ...yes , he had much to do .

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Kagomes' pleasant mood lasted her entire work day , even had her humming softly - making her friend Sango look at her as if she were loosing her mind. Kagome did care , she was happy and wanted all to know. Too bad that happiness was destined to fail her once she punched the proverbial clock to go home.

While her day was drawing to a close , outside another being was grinning from pointed ear to pointed ear as he spoke into his cell phone and long after he flipped it closed and sat waiting for it. His eyes stared at the small silver sub compact car and the No Parking sign that had mysteriously ' reappeared ' right in front of said car . She found an unloading zone to park in....shameful . It was his duty to call and report her willful disregard for the parking laws in their fair city.....the scamp. It was not long before the violation was addressed and a city tow truck showed up and the little silver car was being loaded to be taken to impound. The grin that crossed the Dais' face when she came out and instantly began trying to convince the driver that the sign had not been there when she parked her car that morning , rivaled even the chesire cat.

" What are you doing ?!" she shrieked , " There has to be some sort of mistake...."

" No mistake lady. You cannot park in a loading zone , city ordinance. Take it up with the authorities."

" B-But...where did that sign come from? It wasn't there this morning!"

The man rolled his eyes at her , " Yeah , signs just magically sprout out of the pavement..." he went on about his business , ignoring her protests and pleading for him to just let her move her car.

" How am I supposed to get home now?! I have no cash for a cab and it is too far to walk to the train!" she wailed pitifully.

He shrugged indifferently as he opened his door , " Don't know...don't care lady." He got in , started the engine and left her standing there.

Great , just great. It was getting dark and she had no way home. She did not relish the prospect of walking to the train but what other option did she have? Sango had left already and she could not get back in the office to wait until she could think of something. Cursing to herself , she pulled her jacket tightly around her and started her trek toward the train station. Figured something would ruin her good day....where the hell had that sign come from anyway? It was going to cost her at least two days pay to get her car out of impound and she had to find a way to go pick it up as well...cab fare was so expensive.

She felt so self conscious , walking the streets alone at dark...her nerves were stretched thin. If she would to be approached by ill meaning youkai , she could protect herself adequately with her miko powers but if said malcontents were of the human species , she would be in trouble...Kagome could not fight to save her life and her ower did not work on humans. Not promising at all.

She failed to notice that a block or so back behind her , she had a stalker following her from inside a black vehicle. They crept along the dimly lit street ,watching her every step closely while they maintained their distance from her. The driver let her walk a few blocks , never closing the distance between the girl and the car - but not widening it either. It was as if the driver was waiting for something , and he was. He sensed her growing anxiety and let it increase until she was so skittish that when a cat hissed as she passed , she jumped. The driver smirked at her reaction to the cat , and he gradually increased his speed until he was right beside her , keeping up with her quickening steps.

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