A/N
This is in response to Calypso’s and Sugar0o’s ‘Around the World’ challenge.
This story will only be updated when a new location for the challenge is released.
Here is the next chapter! :) I am glad that I have finally refocused my attention on this story thanks to the new location that was posted! YAYA
Also, I am watching Hercules... Just in case anyone wanted to know...
~Smo
^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in the anime/manga InuYasha.
Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Chapter 3
“Beware, pickpockets are extremely popular in crowded areas. Therefore, it is smart to stow everything in a backpack or purse with a zipper,” she read from the tour guide manual. The title being The Tourist's Guide to Saint Petersburg had been very helpful. Unfortunately, the book consisted of only warnings and places to go in case of emergency. “This is very comforting, Mr. Tish,” Kagome grumbled, staring out the window as their plane crawled into the arrival gate.
“That book will only scare you,” his low voice came over her. The low and manly tone spreading a blanket of security over her being. She gave him a small smile, before going back to reading the book. Her eyes widened at the next passage.
“Don't drink the tap water?! What kind of warning is that?” Kagome all but shouted over the woman speaking over the intercom system. “Bottled water only? That is not very comforting.”
Sesshoumaru grabbed the book from her in one swoop, tossing it into the messenger bag on his lap. He gave her a stern look. “Kagome, you are safe with me. That book is useless.”
At first, she flushed with nervousness at his blatant statement of protection. It caused memories of Inuyasha to go through her mind. Even though she had long forgotten the relationship she had with the half-breed, she had sadly come to the realization that no human male in modern times would confess such a declaration of safety. Then again, Sesshoumaru was not a man.
“Why are we here anyways?” She asked. A defensive gleam entered her eyes as well. “And the book had a few maps in it,” she argued.
Sesshoumaru sighed, shaking his head in disbelief at the woman beside him. She had panicked numerous passengers with her delightful warnings the book had placed into her mind. “A friend of mine is merging our companies together. You know him,” Sesshoumaru answered, standing up as soon as the seatbelt sign was off.
Kagome followed, almost tripping over the small aisle and grabbing her carry-on bag. She finally caught up to him in the small airport hallway. “Who is it?” She asked. Kagome didn't know anyone in Russia.
Sesshoumaru only shook his head. A sign that he would not give her such information. Kagome rolled her eyes at him. “You are so frustrating sometimes,” she grumbled out in irritation. “You blackmail me to be your secretary, and then you follow me on my dates, and yet you never take me out to dinner or talk to me.”
“I am allowing you to travel the world. Is that not something?” He bit back over his shoulder. “My personality and ways of completing tasks should not concern you. Enjoy the ride, Higurashi, for I feel that with your constant whining it will come to an end soon.”
She stopped almost instantly. Her heart pounding loudly in her chest. He had a point. She was being a nagging child while he was allowing her to travel with his money around the world. Silently, she began to stumble behind him. Flushing in embarrassment, she tried not to think of how stupid she had been.
Still, her stubbornness took over. Part of this was her fault, but it was also his too. He hardly said a word to her, and it was frustrating to always be out of the loop. Why should she apologize for being curious? Her conscience told her she should apologize anyways.
She opened her mouth to speak when they arrived at the baggage claim. The words were glued in her throat though, unwilling to escape from their confinement. She cleared it a few times, even began to blubber like an idiot. He turned to stare at her. One of his silvery eyebrows rose, his golden eyes glittered with amusement at her unintelligent display of speechlessness. Finally, she gave up and reached around him, pulling his bag that was about to pass them off the belt and giving him a shy smile as she carried it for him.
Sesshoumaru only watched the retreating back. It was nice to have a woman that was owning up to her actions. In modern times, he found that people hardly blame themselves. He chuckled under his breath. Even if she hadn't worded the apology, he followed her, understanding her actions.
He saw the man waiting for them. The driver was holding up a small dry-erase board with his company name on it. He watched as Kagome began to talk about the man, showing him her ID while pointing to Sesshoumaru. Idly, the man turned and began to show them to the car, and Sesshoumaru watched in amazement as Kagome tried to lift the large suitcase over the lip of the trunk.
She was trying to make up for her complaining, even if it meant looking like a fool. Sesshoumaru shook his head once more. She was refreshing. Over the years, he had grown tired with the people of this time. They were always in a rush, not one of them paused to look around them. She wanted to see everything, go everywhere. Even if she happened to be a clumsy, irritating woman, he would support those dreams if it meant he didn't have to act like somebody else. It was so tiring acting like a human, so it was a nice change to be able to let his guard down around her.
Sighing, he grabbed her hand that resided over the handle of his bag. He leaned over her, his breath ghosting over the flesh of her neck. He felt the way her body froze against his. Her heartbeat accelerated, a rose colored flush breaking across her cheeks. “Apology accepted,” he whispered, taking the bag from her and rolling it effortlessly into the trunk of the car.
“Are we going to the hotel or straight to his office?” Kagome asked as the car jerked forward. She looked up at the demon for an answer.
His mouth twitched. For a moment, Kagome thought it may just be a smile. Instead, he let out a breath and shook his head. “Neither,” he told her. When she rose one of her chocolate colored brows, he merely ignored her.
Kagome was officially amazed. The large court was filled with tourists, but that didn't take away the feeling of accomplishment or mystique. It didn't get rid of the historical feeling of the area. The large white building was beige from the years it had seen. Small cracks lined it, but the thick walls would never come down on their own, Kagome knew it.
The large column in the center was breathtaking. Kagome knew what year it had been built. This was something that architectures relied on. It was the tallest structure of its kind and made of pure red granite. The statue of the angel holding the cross had almost been replaced during the Cold War with a statue of the Communist leader Joseph Stalin. Fortunately, it had lived so she could see it.
“This is amazing,” Kagome whispered in awe. It felt that if she spoke up louder she might wake up from this dream. The demon behind her merely hummed his delight. She found it lacking.
“Sesshoumaru, this is an architecturally historical piece. It was built in the nineteenth century, and it was threatened numerous times,” she explained, wanting to see some sort of amazement in the golden depths.
“It is a pole,” he returned, shrugging his shoulders, “a large one.”
Kagome snarled, surprising him with the display of rudeness. “I guess you wouldn't see it the same way I do. You could destroy it with a flick of your wrist,” she whispered, forgetting momentarily of the strength he possessed.
She looked at the Winter Palace. The stucco was elegantly designed in the Baroque fashion. The details were shockingly deep. Kagome knew instantly that she could stare at this structure for a year and still be able to find new details about it.
“Are you ready?” He asked from behind her. She turned to him, finding him glimpsing at his watch. It meant that he had a meeting. She gave him a nod and the began their exit out of the court.
“Thank you, Sesshoumaru,” she muttered, hoping that it would reach him as he walked a few paces in front of her. She heard his pleasant reply. A small breath escaping as if he was worried she wouldn't like it.
“While I am in the meeting, I would like you to run an errand,” he added as they slid into the car once more. Kagome passed him a curious, almost fearful glance that made him laugh. “The book is making you fear the country. It will be fine,” he explained, although she didn't trust a word. She watched as he handed her a large envelope, but she didn't peek inside. “The address is on it. It is only about four blocks from the building we are going to.”
She listened to his information and memorized the address quickly. She took in a breath and released it slowly letting her fears out in the small exhalation. “Alright,” she replied, giving him a smile. “After, do you want me to wait for you in the lobby?” She asked.
Sesshoumaru returned with a nod as the car entered an obscene amount of traffic on one street. “Yes, we have dinner plans with the boss,” Sesshoumaru answered, turning back to look at the surrounding area. They passed a small park. It was empty though, nearing the late afternoon hours. It was dinner time already, and he hoped the meeting would go quickly.
“Why didn't you just meet over dinner?” Kagome asked curiously, fingering the corner of the envelope as she recited the address once more.
“I prefer to keep business matters inside the office, and not out,” he explained, setting the messenger bag on the floor of the car when it came to a stop. “The driver knows where to go,” he added, shutting the door and waving to her over his shoulders as he entered the large building. She couldn't even see a name.
Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders. Hopefully, she would figure the puzzle of this new business over dinner when she met the man. “Thank you for driving,” Kagome added, tossing it into the silence as they left the business area and entered an apartment or residential district. She saw a few questionable scenes. Most of them being a few girls not wearing enough clothes, but occasionally seeing men lurking in the shadows. Suddenly, it felt as if she hadn't read enough of the book.
The automobile came to a stop once more. The driver nodding to her that this was the place. Kagome peered out the window and looked up at the skinny, little complex. It looked like an antique doll house. She looked back and forth along the street and exited the car when the last biker passed her. She made sure her purse was zipped and tucked the envelope under her shoulder.
Her heels clicked against the ground, the sound seeming to echo in her ears as she ascended the steps. She poked the white doorbell button and winced when several barks from dogs were heard. “Why the heck did Sesshoumaru need to do business here?” She wondered aloud.
Numerous latches were heard clicking as they were freed. The door cracked open. One eye of a woman peered through, the old hazel orbs glaring at Kagome as if she'd already done something bad. Her eye then went to the paper before she swiped it out of Kagome's hands and slammed the door once more.
Kagome gasped, her hand reaching for the knob to turn it open. The sound of a chain behind connected to the latch made her efforts useless. Maybe she didn't need it back. What if the woman was supposed to keep it? It looked like contracts, Kagome added.
“Hold on,” the woman croaked up, putting an end to Kagome's ideas. The door slid open once more and the lady tossed the envelope back at Kagome. “Go on and leave, you life suckers,” she cursed, slamming the door once more.
Kagome merely shook her head in shock while she stepped down the stairs once more. A sudden force slammed into her, and she was thrown to the ground. A scream tore its way out of her throat. Distantly, she heard the car door slamming open and then shut before her purse was ripped from her arm. The assailant took off back down the street, and the driver began to take off after him before he stopped. Kagome and him both knew that this man had more knowledge of the city then they did.
“Ma'am, are you alright?” He asked, watching as Kagome tried to gather herself. The sound of material tearing entered her head, and she looked down in horror as her skirt ripped at the side. Groaning, she stood with his help. She grimaced when she put weight on her right leg, and looked down at the broken heel and shoe that had come off. “I'll get it, just get in the car,” the driver urged her.
She slid into the seat stiffly. Her mind still reeling at what had just happened. Like that, the man had pushed her down and taken her purse with absolutely no hesitation. The fear that bubbled within her had stopped her breathing and caused a chest pain filled with her sudden anxiety. Her hands were shaking, ankle throbbing and breath coming out in gasps as the driver began to move the car once more.
Kagome was too caught up in her thoughts to track the route they were taking. Wasn't this time supposed to be the safe one? There were no rogue demons, so why was she attacked so randomly? Did that man really not see the wrong in what he was doing?
She hiccuped once and realized that she had started to cry. The tears cascaded down her cheeks as if a dam had just been broken. Whether it be from the pain or the mere knowledge that a man had pushed her down so easily, she did not know.
The door to the car opened once more. The driver peered in, kneeling down to access the damage. “Here, let me see your ankle,” he instructed. Kagome, first, accessed where they were, which was outside the skyscraper Sesshoumaru had gone into. Then, she nodded and turned in her seat to hold out her leg.
The man slipped off her other heel, before taking the injured limb into his hands. He tilted it at an angle that made Kagome wince before nodding his head. “It is a bad sprain,” he told her, making a sound of disapproval as he pulled off his tie and began to use it as a brace.
“Why did we not go to the police?” She asked curiously. That was the usual steps during a time like this. She wiped her tears and watched as he tied a knot and tucked the remnants of the tie into the wrap, sliding it back into the car.
“We could, but those robbers will be gone and in a new district come nightfall,” he explained. Kagome forced a nod, taking in the information even though she did not want to admit it.
“I should still report that everything is missing, right?” She wondered aloud. She had no clue, nothing like this had ever happened to her. Before he could say another word though, another presence appeared, this one much more familiar to her.
“What happened?” Sesshoumaru growled to the driver, pointing a finger at Kagome. The driver looked utterly terrified ot the demon. Kagome doubted the man even knew.
“Sesshoumaru, it is not his fault,” she whispered dejectedly. Slowly, she grabbed the manila envelope and offered it. His eyes widened sufficiently, and he sneered, dropping down and grabbing her leg. He roughly turned it to the side and Kagome stared in shock at the blood that had gathered at a fist-sized scrape.
“You smelled it?” She whispered quietly, almost amazed at his senses. It had been a while since she had seen a display of human power, and the results were always frightening. They were in a league of their own.
She gave a watery smile when she saw a look of concern and guilt filter through the golden orbs. Her eyes looked up to the driver, “Is there any way to get me some water?” She asked and watched as the man scurried away. Carefully, she brought her hand to where the scrape was and focused on the reiki she had finally figured out how to control. Slowly, the purplish power began to glow around her hand.
Sesshoumaru watched in awe as the scrap began to close until all that was left was the dried blood. “You tried to train yourself,” he noted while looking at the other damage. The driver had wrapped her sprain, and one of her shoes were broken. “Let us go back to the hotel, I will reschedule the dinner,” he whispered. Guilt was still thick within him. He had assumed that she would be fine. It was just a small errand to collect a deed from a house that a company wished to relocate. It was in a neighborhood that could use certain insurances. Sighing, he tried not to think of when the last time he screwed up was. He had forgotten an extremely important fact when dealing with Kagome.
He had forgotten her humanity.
“What about the dinner?” Kagome asked, looking up at him with worried and puffy eyes. Her hair was tousled, and some of her mascara had smeared. The skirt was ripped and a few buttons had come off her jacket. Still, she was wanting to continue.
“We have an hour,” he maintained quietly. He then took one sniff. He inhaled the scent of the man that had pushed her down. It ingrained itself into his memory, and he stored it away for later. Her purse would be seen again, and that man would pay dearly for what he had done. Sesshoumaru would personally see to it.
The drive came back. A small paper-like cone in his hand. He held out the cup of water and bowed apologetically to Sesshoumaru. Kagome watched as her boss patted the man's shoulder. “To the hotel,” he ordered, walking around the car and sliding into the seat next to Kagome.
Kagome winced as she limped out of the shower. She wrapped the towel around her hair and fashioned on the hotel-issued robe. She tied the rope loosely around her belt and stepped out of the room.
The knock on the door repeated herself, reminding her of why she had gotten out of the shower in the first place. Quickly, she waddled over to the door and pulled it open when she felt Sesshoumaru's youki on the other side. The demon stared at her for a moment, and she found herself flushing under his gaze.
“What's up?” She asked, opening the door wider to let him in. Sesshoumaru walked past her and made his place on the sofa in front of the television. His golden orbs remained on her form though, and he found himself wanting to spread open the robe for a closer examination.
When she cleared her throat, he remembered why he was here in the first place. “I wanted to postpone the meeting because of your incident. Unfortunately, the idiot wants to meet with you as soon as possible. Something about not having seen you in a while,” Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulders as if it had nothing to do with him. “I arranged for a small dinner in my room to be prepared. Come over when you are ready,” Sesshoumaru finished.
His gaze flickered to her stance. He knew that she was babying the ankle while the wound was fresh. Thankfully, though, they had found an actual bandage and given the driver his tie back. His stare was broken when the creamy leg moved. She hobbled back into the bedroom. His throat suddenly tightened when he heard the towel drop to the floor. He closed his eyes, trying not to imagine what was now standing in that room. Unfortunately, closing his eyes did not help.
“I-I will wait in the other room,” Sesshoumaru barked out quickly, standing up and fleeing the hotel suite as quickly as possible. He burst into the hallway and slammed open his door, only to come to a complete stop when he met the emerald eyes of the demon he was waiting for.
“It's been a while since I have seen you flush, Sesshoumaru,” the youkai teased him. The fangs came over his bottom lip. The large, furry tail twitched with his amusement. A small chortle escaped the throat of the younger demon. “So, who are we hunting tonight? A robber, that is a change from the usual deed holder.”
The reminder of what had happened to Kagome was enough to bring him out of his hormonal state. He recovered his grace and lowered his being into the seat at the table. The only other chair was vacant and reserved for Kagome. “She is hurt,” Sesshoumaru forced out while feeling guilty. It had been his job to protect her. On the plane he had informed her that she would be safe in his care. Sesshoumaru clenched his fist until blood began to rise to the surface. He had failed.
“Calm down,” the demon in front of him ordered sternly as he picked up the wine glass. The demon took a small sip. “How were you supposed to know? I am sure that if anything else had happened you would have felt it.”
The small exaggeration on the four letter word was enough to grasp Sesshoumaru's full attention. Feeling what was going on to another person was something that only mates did. “We are not like that. Do not make such assumptions,” he growled out warningly.
The demon laughed lightly and lifted his hands in the air in mock surrender. “My apologies, but you were acting as if the two of you were already mated,” he joked. It didn't bring a laugh from Sesshoumaru.
They both stopped the conversation when they smelled her scent. The door opened. They heard the sharp intake of breath, and tears followed shortly after. “S-Shippo?” The whispered name was enough to cause Sesshoumaru's heart to speed up. The shock, maternal love, and astonishment was causing the voice to shake. He heard the thuds as her foot padded against the ground, didn't need to look as she past him and threw her arms around the demon he had been talking to.
Shippo released a grunt as she hit his chest. Her face nuzzled against the shirt covered chest and he let loose a nostalgic laugh. His emerald eyes shined with his own affection as his hand rubbed soothing circles along her back. “It's me, Kagome,” he cooed into her ear, inhaling her scent. It had been five hundred years since he had smelled it. He had even worried that he wouldn't survive to bask in it once more.
“H-How is it possible?” Kagome whispered, pulling away from him and wiping at the tears as they fell. Shippo pulled the empty chair from the table and gestured with one hand for her to sit.
“When I entered adulthood, I ran into Rin and AhUn. Since then, I traveled with them and opened my own business alongside Sesshoumaru's,” Shippo summed it all up, skipping the important details surrounding the other members of their group. Kagome did not need to find out how they came to their ends, not yet.
“That sounds... simple,” Kagome answered as she laid the napkin across her lap. Her eyes went to Sesshoumaru, and she gave him a soft smile. “You took him in?” She wondered.
He shrugged. “He was already one hundred at the time and needed to learn how to control himself,” he explained, as if it was nothing. Sesshoumaru remembered the day he spotted Shippo fishing for Rin. The fox demon had grown physically, but he was still a wreck without the priestess. That group had taken several hits after the miko, and one of them didn't survive long after.
A man dressed in the hotel uniform came through the door. He pushed a wheeled dinner against their table and began setting trays in front of them. He poured more wine in the glasses, nodded his head and was gone once more. Kagome stared down at the perfectly presented dinner. It looked like a five-star meal had been delivered to her perfectly. “Amazing,” she whispered in awe.
“What happened with you, Kagome?” The question brought her out of reality once more. She started as she look into Shippo's green eyes. Quietly, Kagome tried to remember what had happened after the magical time lapse had deserted her. She had spent years wandering in a depression. It wasn't a pitiful feeling of wanting to leave the world. It was the knowledge that no one would ever know what she had gone through, and if she had told anyone she would run the risk of being thrown into the asylum.
Therefore, she had spent many years with her nose in her textbooks to get through high school and college. She buried her sadness and worries in work while straying from the shrine as much as possible. It was too hard to walk by the God tree – too hard to walk by the small well house that had helped her grow into an adult.
“I-I just focused on work,” Kagome released, beginning to poke at the food with her fork. Sesshoumaru and Shippo shared a small glance but decided not to push forward with the seemingly touchy subject.
Kagome was glad they decided to let the topic slide. It was a few minutes before her appetite even dared to come back. When it did, she quickly began to eat the deliciously cooked meal. Although, her thoughts ran back to the way her life had been. She had grown into a pessimistic. The humans around her were all naïve. They had no idea what she had gone through to keep the world from spiraling into Naraku's greedy hands. No one had known what she had sacrificed.
Kagome winced. She sounded selfish, wishing to be known. It wasn't that she wanted to be famous or known as a super hero. She just wanted someone to share her stories, to know what she had gone through. Shrugging, she dabbed at the corner of her mouth and dismissed herself from the room, leaving the two demons alone while keeping her eyes planted on the floor as she continued to her own room.
Shippo watched the door shut behind her with eyes filled with concern. Sesshoumaru released a grunt as he set his fork against the porcelain plate. “No more asking about her past,” he noted. Shippo snorted, giving a nod in agreement.
“Should we start our hunt?” Shippo asked. A predatory gleam came over the emerald eyes that suddenly blazed with blackness. “It has been quite a while,” he added, feeling the latent side of him begin to pound against his insides. It was a kitsune's nature to play with humans, and it was a part of him that didn't get out often.
Kagome's eyes flickered open. At first, she was quite sure that she was still in the dream. After all, what was sitting on the nightstand in front of her was clearly unreal. She closed her eyes once more. Slowly, she opened the right one as if to test out her vision. Nope, it was still there.
The dark purple, almost black purse sat on the nightstand. It looked as if it had been cleaned and for a moment she wondered if this was a joke. She sat up, wincing when her ankle was jolted. Tentatively, her hand reached out and finger curled around the strap. She pulled it onto the bed and unzipped the purse.
A gasp sounded and she stared at all the belongings that had been taken from her the previous day. This was completely unrealistic. How did the purse even get there? She pulld her wide wallet out and unbuttoned it to reveal the exact amount of cash that had been in there. All the cards were back and her license still sat in the clear plastic. Her passport was still tucked into the side pouch along with a few feminine necessities.
Her mind went to work on solving the puzzle. Fortunately, it wasn't very hard to put together the large piece that looked to be around six and a half feet tall and one hundred with silver hair and sun-kissed eyes. “Sesshoumaru,” she whispered in disbelief, hugging the purse against her chest and letting out a grateful smile.
She pushed the blankets off her and carefully stepped off the bed. Limping, she made her way into the hall, not worrying about getting dressed or checking her appearance in the mirror. This couldn't wait.
Her fist pounded against the white, wooden door. It clicked open a few moments later and she quickly dove in to retrieve a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered against the suited chest. “You didn't have to do that,” she exclaimed.
His large hand cupped her shoulder, and she felt him nuzzle her hair before he gently pushed her away. “The ankle, does it still hurt?” He asked. Kagome nodded, looking down at realizing it was hidden by the baggy sweats she worse. Her eyes widened.
“Sorry, I'll go get dressed,” she quickly excused herself. Before she left, she looked him in his bright golden eyes and gave him a large smile. “Thank you. You took in Shippo and got my purse back. I-I owe you,” she whispered, bowing down to give him a formal show of gratitude. She then straightened and gave him a smirk. She pointed her finger at him, poking him in the firm chest. “However! If you would have let me finish my book, it could have warned me against robbers too.”