Never Forget by BelovedStranger
Hollow Victory
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some of you might be wondering why I am writing a story such as this. Simple. There are many women out their who have been treated horribly by their first love, but they have loved the individual for so long and so fiercely, that they don't know how NOT to love him. However, even for situations such as that, there comes a point in time where enough is enough.
Word Count: 1,500
Prompt: Royal Flush
Hollow Victory
“Meet me outside. I have a surprise for you.”
Blinking in bewilderment, Kagome asked, “Sesshomaru?”
He chuckled. “Just do it.”
Click.
Gazing down at her cell phone with a small frown on her face, Kagome turned to her coworker Sango.
“Hey, Sango? I’m sorry, but I can’t ride the train with you today. A friend is picking me up.”
“Yeah, no problem, Kagome,” smiled Sango. “It’s not like I’ll be alone. Miroku will be with me. See you tomorrow!”
“Yeah, later.” Seeing Miroku walking towards them with a huge grin on his face, Kagome waved. “I’ll be leaving ahead of you two. Bye!”
“Abandoned by a beautiful woman,” sighed Miroku in a teasing manner, to which Sango elbowed him in the stomach, scowling.
Laughing, Kagome adjusted her pack that held her scrubs, and jogged out of the hospital, searching for Sesshomaru’s white Audi.
A horn sounded, drawing her attention.
Sesshomaru stepped out of his car as she walked towards him. They met at the passenger door where he opened it for her. Surprised by his show of courtesy, she sat, and buckled up. When she looked up, he was so close, their noses almost touched. A flush rose on her face.
Then he gave her the tenderest of kisses, stealing her breath, and making her feel long dormant affection for him. Then he smiled knowingly, breaking her befuddlement. She scowled as he shut her door and waited for him to get in his own seat.
“What’s with the surprise visit? Don’t you have work left to do at the office?” she grouched, irritated that he could still affect her emotions, almost making her forget how much she hated him.
He smiled over at her before watching the road once more as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot. “My, someone’s moody. Bad day at work?”
Tamping down her ire, she muttered, “I’m fine.”
Thankful he didn’t persist on that line of questioning, he said, “I took the rest of the day off. My new secretary and underlings can handle the leg work for now. Today, I thought you’d like to have dinner with me.”
Kagome looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. He left work early for me? He’s never done that before.
Then she frowned, gazing at her wrist watch. “Its too early for dinner.”
“Look in the back seat.”
Peering over her shoulder, she saw grocery bags. Not understanding, she said slowly, “Okay?”
Chuckling, he said, “We’re going to my place where I’ll be grilling steak, baking potatoes, and tossing up a salad. And you’re not to help. You can keep me company while I prepare everything.”
To say Kagome was shocked would have been an understatement. Sesshomaru hardly ever allowed her to visit his place, not wanting his parents to find out about her and her connection to their son. Also, it was rare for him to cook a meal, even though he was capable of performing such a menial task. He usually had his house keeper take care of such things.
“What’s the occasion?” Kagome asked, suspiciously. Why was he being so nice?
“I’ve been thinking a lot in the past few weeks after Rin had left. We’ll discuss it after dinner.”
Kagome wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing as they sat quietly for the rest of the trip to Sesshomaru’s pent house.
Two hours later…
Sitting opposite Sesshomaru at his long dining table, they passed the well cooked meal in idle banter, talking about nothing important, and all the while Kagome wondered what he had to tell her. He was acting strange, being oddly attentive, courteous, and flirtatious. She had never seen this side of him before, even when he had been stringing her along. Those times he had been sexually provocative. Now he was being…charming.
Finally, they finished and took their wine glasses to the living room, where they sat on one of his white, leather sofas. He sat close, too close. His thigh against hers, an arm around her shoulders as they sipped wine.
Clearing her throat, Kagome asked, “What’s all of this about, Sesshomaru?”
“Yes, it’s about time I told you,” he said, his words ominous to Kagome.
She was made more nervous when he took her glass and set both of them on a small stand near his side of the sofa before turning back to her, and took her hands in his own.
Her heart beat a mile a minute. From nerves? His closeness? Perhaps, a little of both.
“Tell me,” she implored almost in a whisper, meeting his amber gaze, seeing so much reflected there, not understanding.
“I never understood how much you really meant to me until recently,” he began, startling her. “You have always been there for me, Kagome, even when it was probably better if you had turned your back on me. I’ve done so many horrible things to you in my selfishness.”
Kagome couldn’t speak, emotion clogging her throat.
“I’ve strung you along,” he murmured with pain in his eyes. “I’ve kept you near yet pushed you aside all at the same time. I pushed you into another man’s arms because I felt guilty that I was in a relationship, hiding it from you. With her, I had felt the same thing I had forced upon you time and time again. Betrayal. After it ended, I could not bear to look at myself in the mirror, couldn’t go to you and apologize for all that I had done, acting the coward. I felt unworthy, that I did not deserve your forgiveness. I told myself to let you go, to leave, but I couldn’t. Selfishly, I kept you by my side, for you are the only good thing in my life.
“Then I failed you again by running into yet another’s arms, to Rin. Though I do love her, I had acted the coward yet again—running from my feelings for you, believing myself unworthy—I could never forget you, or stand the thought of you being with another man even if he could give you what I could not.
“I don’t ask you to forgive me but look past all my faults if you can and give me a chance to prove to you that I am not the man you think me to be. I can change. I will be better, for you, love.”
Kagome barely breathed during his confession, her heart bleeding, for these were the words she had always wished to hear—a confession of true feelings for her—and yet…they broke her heart, cutting into her like shards of glass. For it was too late, much too late.
But it wasn’t enough. He spoke in insinuations. Just to be clear, absolutely clear on what he was saying to her, she asked, “What chance do you speak of when you say you wish to prove yourself? Why do you wish to change for me? What do you want from me?”
Tenderly, he cupped her right cheek in the palm of his hand and leaned down to lay his forehead gently against her own. She closed her eyes. This moment almost too much for her to bear. Her emotions were warring inside her. Love against hate, spite against hope.
“I never want to go another day without you in my life. I realize now that you are precious to me.”
He cupped her face in his hands, kept his forehead against her own before commanding gently but with such emotion, his voice was rough. “Look at me.”
She shook her head. She didn’t want to hear this from him. She yearned to hear it.
“Look at me, Kagome. I have to see your eyes when I say this next part.”
Taking a deep breath meant to fortify her nerves but failed completely, she did, and what she saw in his eyes rocked her.
“I love you. I know I have said so countless times before, but this time is different. This time, I will hold nothing back. I wish for you to live with me here, spend every waking moment I’m not in the office with you, and fall asleep with you in my arms, your scent surrounding me. I want everyone, all our friends, coworkers, and our parents—yes, even mine—to know that we are together. I love you, Kagome. Please tell me you love me, too.”
Gazing into his eyes, tears in her own, obscuring his face, she tried to blink them away, but they slid unheeded down her face. Sesshomaru wiped them away with his thumbs, a tortured expression clear to see upon his face.
“Don’t cry, my love. Why are you crying?”
And like that, Kagome knew she had finally won his heart. She could either forgive and forget his past actions, or continue with the next phase of her ultimate revenge.
To make him suffer what she had suffered for years by his own hands.
A heart filled with dismay and loss.