Tape by Kawlqar

Conflict

Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's work. All respectable credit goes to her and her ideas.

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Chapter 1: Conflict

Vacuity. Knifes cut into flesh; his flesh. A nauseating metallic scent flooded his olfactory senses. He was losing. Losing to a trait that his genes screamed he lacked: will. Ribbons as strong as iron constricted his throat, little fingers stroked his jugular and playfully dug their nails into his skin. It did not matter how much he gnashed his teeth; it was futile. He couldn’t ... wouldn’t ... should he? A stinging scourge brought him back to his overtaxed consciousness. His knees buckled as a second blow lashed against his exposed back. Pain ... Someone was wringing his backbone. How dare ... His defiant eyes snapped wide; his breath ... he couldn’t breathe; he was paralyzed. He felt like his spine could erupt from his body at any moment. He opened his mouth to howl, but oil filled his speech, and could only gag on his own words. When ... will it ...? His heart was no more. He was now void as his entire self poured from inside out through the wound. His soul sloshed to the ground, fluttered for a moment before being extinguished by his blood. No. Claws grabbed at his head and scraped until bone was exposed. No ... Snake-like tongues wrapped around his lifeless arms. No! Teeth clamped onto his calves. They sunk into his tissue and ripped ... NO! He saw it now. Gratification overcame him as he gazed at the tear in time. But nothing could patch this mistake. It was too late. His eyes rolled back into his head as a satisfied sigh escaped his dried, chapped lips. His head bowed to his chest, and he took the plunge. Conformity. Yes, he would do that for now. But one day ... he in flesh would return and reclaim everything that was rightfully his.

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“So you’re saying that he’s been stalking you for three years? That’s some devotion!” cried Yuki.

“You’re telling me,” huffed Kagome, “He’s lucky he has the balls to hide behind his oh-so-wonderful gang. Otherwise I would have given him the recognition he deserved a long time ago.” She rammed her knee in an upward motion so her friends could have a better visual.

All four girls broke into laughter while walking side-by-side in Tokyo’s summer sun. The streets were already filled with eager weekend bargain shoppers. If there was anything more lively than the already crowded city, the mob was quite a sight to see.

“Oh well! Let’s forget about stalker guys for now. I want to enjoy this Saturday before finals.” Kagome made a face and stuck her tongue out in disgust.

The girls agreed as they walked into the nearest Poco a Poco ice cream store.

“Whew. I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a pretty good shower right about now,” Eri panted in front of the store fan.

When they were seated, each girl immediately ordered their favorite chilled delight and sat down to engage in idle chatter. Being the hottest day of the year, there was nothing much to do in Tokyo, but walk around the city and rush to the nearest air conditioned store around every other corner. Poco a Poco was packed today, as was usual with this time of year. Many children were with their parents, licking off the sweet liquid running down their tiny hands and onto their shoes. Kagome recognized some of the middle schoolers as Souta’s friends.

“Sooo ... how was the date with Hojo-kun last night?” Ayumi couldn’t hold the question in any longer. She giggled and quirked a brow at Kagome, expecting a good answer. The two others, Eri and Yuki huddled in closer to the girl.

Kagome shrugged and licked her ice cream thoughtlessly.

“Well?” Eri pushed.

“Well ... that’s about it. I don’t know. I mean, it was okay for a date ... and Hojo-kun is a really nice guy ...”

“Yeah? Go on, go on!” Ayumi bounced in her seat excitedly, “Are you two official now? C’mon Kagome! Don’t leave the good details out now!”

“Yeah, Kagome! Did you guys ... do it?” Yuki chirped in.

“Wait, what? WHAT? N-NO!” Good thing this store was packed today, or she would have been humiliated to have anyone overhear this conversation. Although most of the girls her age had already rebelled against their family’s morals and run off to have sex with their boyfriends or other sketchy males, Kagome had kept true to her family. It wasn’t just for her mother’s honor, but she felt like copulation was a one time thing; something that was to be saved for one person, and one very special moment of her life. Besides, she had to be a good role model for Souta. If she ran off every other night with a different man, what would her brother think of her?

“No to being official or no to having sex? Not that it matters. Hojo-kun is pretty hot if you ask me!” Eri licked her ice cream and gave Kagome a suggestive look.

Kagome’s face reddened; she could feel an uncomfortable heat creeping up her neck, “Umm ... no to both.”

“Oh ... that’s a shame. Kagome! This is why you have to take control! You have to get things your way by coming onto Hojo-kun first!” Ayumi scolded.

“Ahh ... er ... yeah. Well, let’s, um, talk about something else, guys. Please. I don’t want to make this worse than it already is.” Kagome prayed that they would get the message.

The girls rolled their eyes at each other before shrugging off their suspicions. The rest of their time together was spent shopping for new fashionable summer clothes. They had planned an end-of-freshman-year-in-college retreat earlier in the spring, and sexy swimwear was a definite must.

At the end of the day, Kagome dragged herself up the steps to her family’s shrine-home. Not before, of course, visiting the well. Kagome sighed as she set her goods aside and sat on the steps leading to the well. She stared at it, the same way she had been staring at it for the past year ... but she knew that nothing could bring the well back to life now. It wasn’t that she couldn’t go back ... she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to see the pain on Inuyasha’s face again, then she would just forgive him all over again ... and the vicious cycle would return and slap her hard in the face. She just couldn’t do it anymore; she couldn’t take anymore of his excuses or short-comings. If this had been a normal relationship, then maybe she could have forgiven his faults crystal clear. But this wasn’t normal. If she wanted to live until she was at least eighty, then it was clear that leaving him was the best choice.

“Mama, Grandpa, Souta, I’m home!” Kagome yelled while leaving her shoes at the door.

In the back room she could hear gun shots and screaming. Souta was playing another one of his first-person shooter games. Kagome walked around to the kitchen to find her mother busily working on a new recipe for the annual Higurashi relative gathering. Grandpa was at the table spouting off about spirits, and his secret ways to stay free from these supernatural forces. All was normal in the Higurashi household.

Kagome stared outside the window from her desk to take a break from studying. Life was moving so fast; it only took a year to catch up to her studies, and now she was in college. But something was gnawing at her ... she felt incomplete. Why ...? I have a job, I have my friends and my family, I have ... Her eyes brimmed with water. She missed him, Inuyasha. But it wasn’t just that. She loved him. He was her lifesaver in a sea of anger and confusion. She was attached to his mind, yet she knew she didn’t have his heart. Kagome softly sobbed into her hands. They had been married for a year after defeating Naraku. Sango and Miroku had done the same, and had a house full of children; each child probably represented the marriage proposals Miroku had thrown to every beautiful woman in his lifetime. Rin was settling nicely in the village, and Kaede was very happy to tutor her new student. Shippo, her beloved adopted son, had run off to explore his blooming manhood. No doubt he had found himself wonderful friends by now.

Kagome pushed her books to the side and climbed into bed. How was everyone? Did they even miss her with their busy lives? Kagome curled into a ball and allowed the tears to fall freely onto the comforter. She felt lost and befuddled, almost abandoned. Besides, it was Inuyasha’s fault for leaving her behind, right? Their marriage only lasted for so long. Four months ... And then he left her ... just like that. He decided that they needed a second house; the house he would run away to when his time spent with Kagome did not involve food. Children? They couldn’t have any because he preferred to avoid her like she was some type of disease. She didn’t even have STDs! Kagome’s sobs increased as she hugged her body pillow. If she was lucky enough, she could get two words from him in one day, and whenever they passed each other on the road, he would stop to admire the surrounding nature than her. What was with him anyway? She put so much into the relationship only to have him turn his back on her. She didn’t even get a “thanks.” I hate you, Inuyasha ... She hoped Inuyasha could magically hear her thoughts. She needed a distraction, and fast, otherwise she would break to pieces. Kagome jumped from the bed, threw on something she thought would accommodate her recreation, and ran out of the house before her family could see her puffy red eyes.

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“You bastard. I don’t care how handsome or rich you are! You could at least give me some emotion when I’m trying to come onto you!”

Sesshoumaru stared out the window of the limousine in silence. The woman shoved at his arm, but he was too strong for her to move. She crossed her arms and tapped her finger in agitation.

“Fuck you, Sesshoumaru.”

She pushed the car door open and slammed it shut. Sesshoumaru exhaled in dissatisfaction. He knew she would be back; she was an opportunist. Oh, sure, she said she didn’t care about his status or money now ... but that was her cover up to make him want her. Human motives were so easy to see through. Too bad she didn’t know he wasn’t ... human. Traces of her offending perfume were still in the car; it was the type of perfume laced with musk, intended to attract human males; a useless trick on him. However, this ‘relationship’ conflict could not have occurred at a better time. Tomorrow night was the company dinner, and as the proprietor, he had to set an acceptable image. Impressions were not in his taste, as the entire concept was shallow ... but in order to fit in ... this was another one of the mundane tasks he had to succumb to in a human-driven world. Had he had his way, base etiquette would have been done away centuries ago. Unfortunately, Homo sapiens boomed in population as soon as they perfected the hunt for youkai as game. Lesser youkai immediately became extinct, and when there were none left to kill, the cursed race betrayed their youkai superiors in hordes. The recent census revealed that the current living were few and far apart. If there were any chance for a restoration in youkai power, the likelihood was slim to none. Sesshoumaru remembered his current dilemma and forced the problems of his past into the back of his mind. He had to acquire a suitable replacement for tomorrow night; luckily, he knew where to look.

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Kagome timidly stepped into the club as the bouncers let her through. She had to keep telling herself that she needed this. A light tap on the shoulder caused her to whirl around in alarm; she hoped it wasn’t anyone from high school. That would be embarrassing. Various diseases falsely circulated by her grandfather during those years had given most of her peers the impression that she was a contagious mutant. Kagome was even more surprised that Jii-chan was able to prevent the suspicious government from installing a plastic bubble around their house. He probably told them that he kept her on a deserted island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Kagome slowly turned, but was not surprised.

“Kagome!” Ayumi gave her a tight hug as soon as she recognized Kagome’s doe-eyes behind the makeup. “Wow, I didn’t expect to find you here in a million years! Trying to hook up with someone better than Hojo-kun?”

“Ah ... sort of? Look, I’m just here to unwind ... so don’t get any wrong ideas.”

“Mhmm ... whatever you say, Kagome. Oh, but Eri and Yuki are here too. You should come join us!” Ayumi tugged at Kagome’s arm and pointed toward the back of the club.

“Sure. But on one condition.”

Ayumi rolled her eyes; Kagome always had these rules and conditions ... one day she had to grow up and learn to let loose. But she was here ... and at a club! She would be willing to do anything to make Kagome stay. Besides, she was the only one out of their group who was still boyfriend-less. Mischief ideas began to creep in her mind when she noticed a group of tight-assed guys walk past them.

“You can’t talk about my personal life. And no more blind dates!”

“But-”

“A-ah. No buts or ifs. Understood?”

“Fine. But you have to agree to dance a little.”

“Deal.”

Too bad Kagome couldn’t see the vixen smile as Ayumi led her toward the group.

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Sesshoumaru ordered a fifth drink at the bar just as he finished with his fourth. The VIP room wasn’t open because it was currently in ‘use.’ Normally Sesshoumaru would have kicked the occupant out ... but he wasn’t in the mood today.

“Hey Baby, looking for a good time?”

Sesshoumaru turned from the bar stool to glare at the new intruder. She was quite tall and barely clad; her thighs, probably the only alluring feature on her body, weren’t covered at all. She had a disheveled look, like she had just rutted and didn’t have time to stick around with her last client because she was in need of some fast cash. With today’s economy ... he didn’t find monetary desperation very surprising. Make-up caked on ... lumps of stray blonde hair sticking out from the brown wig she was wearing ... yes, she was indeed desperate.

“No, thank you.” Sesshoumaru turned back around after his analysis. Although he needed a date, he wasn’t about to lower himself to one of the lowest human classes.

He was about to take another drink from his liquor when the woman grabbed his wrist. His eyebrow arched as his eyes hardened.

“Look Honey, you look like you’re in need of company tonight. I can make sure you get your money’s worth. I do the first hour free. If you’re not happy, then you don’t have to pay a penny. Eh? What about it?” She batted her lashes slowly.

A walking advertisement. How very amusing. “Hn. Your desperate attempt to seduce me under your covers is ill-considered . You’re making the mistake of selling yourself for free. You might as well classify yourself a street beggar.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you promise all or nothing based on customer satisfaction, then you will never earn an income. Any man can claim that you weren’t good enough ... and if you think you can cater to every man’s pleasure ... then that is your own foolish notion. In short, you’re the victim ... that is ... unless you have some underlying motive for your poor advertising.”

The woman let go of his wrist as if he had burned her. “Son of a bitch. I only said that because you looked like you had a lot of dough on you.”

Sesshoumaru smiled into his glass while tasting the sweet-bitter wine. “Or ... could you be working for revenge?”

The woman looked shocked. “You...”

“You reek of infected vaginal discharge.”

“What are you, some quack doctor?” He could see the embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

“No ... but I’ve had enough experience around your kind.”

She knocked his empty glasses onto the floor and threw him a disgusted look before marching away. Normal human female behavior... Now about that date ...

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The sound of breaking glass stopped Kagome in mid-grind with her mysterious partner. She looked over to the bar and saw the back of a lean man in a form-fitting, white suit.

‘I wonder how much time he has to put in to clean that thing.’

The man behind her grabbed her hips and moved her to the beat of the music. She went along with him for a while ... only to feel something hard on her back.

‘I hope that’s his cell phone!’

His head bowed as he licked her neck. Kagome gasped as she pulled away from his tight hold.

“Hey! Who do you think you are?!” She turned only to frown into blue, mesmerizing eyes. Suddenly she felt like the offense didn’t matter. It was just instinctual, right? Who was she to judge someone by his actions? Wow, he has some really pretty eyes ...

The man’s teeth revealed four sharp canines as he smiled ... it was almost vampiric. Suddenly that good feeling was gone. Kagome smiled sheepishly, exchanged names, and made her way back into the crowd of sweaty, hormone-raged bodies. She wanted alcohol to numb her inconsistent feelings.

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Sesshoumaru ordered his tenth glass and downed it before walking away from a very stunned bartender; he had left a $30 tip.

As he was getting ready to enter the dance floor to pick up a date, an enticing scent wafted to his sensitive nose. Sesshoumaru twisted his head fully expecting to see a female demon ...