Love is Blind

Love is Blind

Chapter Five

Dark eyes skimmed over the figures on the papers in his hands, a sparkle coming into them as he leered down at what he had discovered. Oh the sheer irony of the whole situation was too good to be true! It was amazing how the two people his mind had been on for the past ninety-six hours had more to do with each other than just his thoughts. It was absolutely perfect!

X

"Okay, I'm going to go and be back later. Are you going to be all right here by yourself for the day?" Kagome inquired hesitantly, her hand on the front door knob and head twisted around to receive confirmation from the silver-haired young man standing behind her in the foyer.

"Geeze, just go already! I'm gonna be fine. It's not like I'm an incompetent child; I did survive before you," he crossed his arms and pouted, insulted that she would think such a thing about him but also reluctant to let her go.

Kagome just smiled and opened the front door where a black car was waiting by the curb. "Good to know, Inuyasha! I was worried for a second there. Be good!" As she hurried down the front walkway, she turned around and shouted one more order, "And don't break anything!"

Inuyasha grumbled while he shut the door, knowing that she was beaming back at him. He glanced out the front window to see her bowing a kiss as she got in the back seat of the car. Shaking his head he tried to suppress the smile that was spreading across his face. 'And she calls me childish…'

X

Sango Hasigawa and Miroku Koji were sitting at a small table in the corner of a local coffee shop, empty Styrofoam cups and their cell phones scattered across the table between them. Miroku was sipping from his own mug of green tea while Sango gulped down her fifth cup of coffee. They hadn't gone to their own homes or gotten a wink of sleep for the past three days and Miroku's constant company was wearing his partner down.

Sango slammed her, now empty, cup down on the table and shot a glare at her companion, her foot lashing out under the tiny table to connect with his shin. He winced slightly but otherwise kept drinking away calmly, his eyes slipping closed blissfully.

"Stop playing footsies with me!" Sango hissed, tucking her feet further under her chair. She normally would've insisted on a larger table to put distance between them, but this was the only available table at seven in the morning.

Miroku just flashed her a grin before her phone started ringing, bouncing across the table as it vibrated with each ring. Sango scrabbled to pick it up, but Miroku got to it first. Without checking to see who it was on the display screen, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"Hello, Miroku's Escort Service. If you have a need, I'm the man for the deed. How may I be of assistance?"

Sango choked and began coughing uncontrollably. What in the name of Santa Claus was that man doing? Miroku just grinned and nodded to the person on the other line.

"Mhmm, I see. Well, Sango's a bit busy at the moment – she's got something in her throat apparently. Perhaps I could pencil you in sometime next week? I've got her tied up for the rest of the week…"

At his thinly veiled innuendoes, Sango lunged over the table and pried the phone away from her partner. "Hello? This is Sango Hasigawa."

"Seems like your reserve has finally worn out, Hasigawa," Kagura's voice crackled from over the speaker. "And it's so early in the morning too."

Sango glowered over at the dark-haired man before turning around to focus on what her employer's assistant was saying. "Whatever you think it is, Kagura, it's not. What is it?"

The other woman seemed particularly amused. "Naraku's getting very impatient. But fortunately for you, I know where our little escape artist has been hiding."

Sango's eyes widened at the news. "Really? Where?"

"The Higurashi estate apparently. He should be there alone for most of the day, so feel free to go collect him any time today. Don't screw up."

And with that, Kagura hung up and left Sango staring wide-eyed at her cell phone. She and Miroku had been searching for the past three days. How did Kagura figure out where Inuyasha was?

"Well, my dearest Sango," Miroku said, raising effortlessly from his chair, "how about we go visit our favorite actor?"

Sango sighed and scooped up her purse, slipping her cell phone inside for safekeeping. She stood up and sidestepped Miroku's wandering hands as she headed for the door leading out onto the street. Time to get back to work.

X

Inuyasha lay sprawled on the carpeted floor in the house's living room, staring up at the white ceiling. Kagome hadn't even been gone for twenty minutes and he was bored out of his mind. What was he going to do for the rest of the day?

His eyes slid over to the side where a beautiful pianoforte stood in the corner. He remembered hours slaving away behind a stand-up piano in the lobby of his apartment complex growing up because his mother had wanted him to learn how to play. And he had hated every minute of it.

But… he hadn't touched a piano since he was sixteen… and he had nothing else to do…

Standing up, he carefully sat down in the bench and uncovered the black and white keys. He splayed his fingers and touched them to the smooth enamel, ghosting over them as he went through the motions; allowing his muscles to remember how the notes and chords went before actually playing them. When he finished playing his imagined piano, he hesitated. It was his mother's favorite song and he'd learned it just for her. Maybe… maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

He sighed heavily, leaning forward to rest his head on the top of the large, wooden instrument. It'd been only six days since his mother passed away in the hospital on the other side of town. And he hadn't even been there to say good-bye. The last time he'd seen her in person was almost five months ago when he found out she'd been readmitted because of a relapse. And even then, he had to fight Naraku in order to let him go see her even though she was only a ten-minute taxicab ride away. Guilt had been gnawing at him since he'd left after only a few hours with promises that he would come back to see her when he knew his agent probably wouldn't let him leave because of his micromanaged schedule. And now it was too late.

Standing up abruptly, he stalked down the hall in search of something else to do. He ended up standing in front of Kagome's room. Staring at the wood of the door, he thought back on the girl he'd spent so little time with compared to some of the other people in his life. Yet, she had succeeded in taking his mind off of his mother and his career when no one else had been able to. She had changed his life in only a matter of days…

The door was slightly ajar from when she left it this morning dressed in a slate-gray skirt and blazer with a light blue button-up shirt peaking out underneath. Pushing at it gently, he slipped into the room and sat down on her still unmade bed. Sighing, he leaned back, pillowing his head with his arm and stared at the large painting hanging on the opposite wall.

It depicted a young family, posed with the mother sitting in a high-backed chair with red velvet-covered cushions holding a small toddler in her lap, her husband standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder and a young girl leaning against the armrest of her mother's chair. It was done in masterful oils although none of them were smiling even though it was painted only a few decades ago when capturing a smile wasn't that impossible. But the artist had been skilled enough to capture the happy twinkles in their eyes and the relaxed lines of their faces and body language. They looked regal but not imposing, businesslike but still personal.

Inuyasha could tell that it was Kagome's family. It was painted quite a while ago based on the style of formal clothing they were wearing and the fact that the girl looked like a much younger version of Kagome, maybe about six- or seven-years-old. Thinking back on it, he realized that she'd never mentioned any of the other three people in the family portrait; she'd mentioned her grandparents and Africa, but not her parents or the little boy he assumed was her younger brother.

It was obvious that she'd lived in the United States at some point in time. And this was her family's old home. The décor of the room she had chosen to stay in was sophisticated yet simple. It was homey and had a lived-in feel to it, but it still looked like a guest bedroom compared to some of the other rooms that they concluded were her grandparents' and great-grandparents' main rooms when they had lived in the estate. But this wasn't her room. There hadn't been any rooms that looked like they had belonged to any children in the past thirty years or so and Kagome had no idea where anything really was in the whole place, so it was safe to say that she'd never lived here except for perhaps visits before she lived in Kenya.

Frowning, all Inuyasha could deduce was that the people in the picture were Kagome's immediate family and that they had lived somewhere other than the estate before she became a missionary with her grandparents in Africa. Beyond that, he had no idea what had happened to them and why she never mentioned them. Shrugging, he figured he'd just ask her when she came home. She'd probably tell him if he timed it right and she was in a good mood.

Sighing, he threw an arm over his eyes. Now to find something to do for the rest of the day until Kagome came home… Maybe there was something in the refrigerator and that TV they'd uncovered in one of the dens still worked. He was wondering how the world was coping without him…

X

Kagome glanced nervously around the conference room full of older men in starched designer business suits feeling extremely out of place among them. Lifting the glass of water she'd been offered upon arrival, she sipped compulsively, managing to still appear dainty and ladylike as well as not drain the glass in two seconds. It was one of her nervous tics along with chewing her nails and popping her knuckles. This seemed the safest considering she just looked like she was really thirsty, sipping her water every few seconds while she gripped the glass with both trembling hands, instead of fidgeting in her chair and acting like a nervous wreck.

They were waiting to start the reading and transferring of assets. She'd arrived early to meet briefly with the family lawyers, but they were supposed to start twenty minutes ago. No one had told her what was going on or why they hadn't started yet, mainly because no one had really spoken to her since she got there forty-five minutes ago. This was getting really awkward for her and anxiety was beginning to make her throat tighten and her head start to swim. She could only hope that as soon as they got started that this would go by really fast so she could return to the estate and spend the rest of the day with Inuyasha.

Just then, a man with dark hair and sharp, calculating eyes set in an unusually pale face entered the room, a very attractive woman in a business suit and ankle breaking stilettos trailing after him, her red-painted lips quirked in a perpetually arrogant smirk. The soft hum of hushed conversations halted abruptly when the pair entered and the atmosphere became cold and even more uncomfortable for Kagome than it had been before. The mysterious man gazed impassively around the room before sitting down at one of the chairs around the conference table, the woman moving to the seat on his left.

With an almost imperceptible nod from the dark-haired man, the rest of the room erupted into a flurry of motion as the other occupants pounced on chairs and straightened folders and shuffled stacks of loose-leaf papers. Kagome stared around with wide, dazed blue eyes at all the commotion. As soon as everyone was settled in their seats, Mr. Alexander, the head lawyer in charge of her family's finances stood up, signaling the beginning of a very long day.

X

Naraku watched on disinterestedly as the crusty old lawyers argued over what was stated in the old woman's will and what her granddaughter had just said. Apparently, she had no interest in staying in New York and living in her family's mansion. The starving children of Africa were more important to the little brat than the estate that had been in her family for three generations. How… touching.

His dark eyes drifted lazily to observe the young heiress sitting across from him, her hands wrapped around the glass of water she'd been drinking from obsessively since the reading had started. Her hands were trembling ever so slightly and her knuckles were white from the grip she had on the large glass goblet. She looked nervous and just a hint of fear glimmered in her large blue eyes as they shifted around the table, attempting to keep up with the rather heated argument. He would admit she was an attractive little thing, in an innocently naïve way. Not exactly his "type" but she certainly was pleasant to look at. Maybe after he was done tearing her world apart by the end of this meeting the two of them could get together and have a little… fun.

He decided then was a good time to break up the slightly dignified yelling match. Lackadaisically, he raised a hand, gaining the attention of the young heiress and the few others that were not thoroughly engrossed in screaming in each other's faces. "If I may be so bold as to interject for a moment," he said evenly, causing the arguing lawmen to freeze mid-shout and turn towards his voice. 'Yes,' he thought with a miniscule smirk, 'it's good to have power over others…'

Old Mr. Alexander cleared his throat loudly while he adjusted his tie. "Yes, Mr. Onigumo? What is it you wished to bring to the council's attention?"

Naraku quietly snorted at the man's choice of words. He was making it seem as if "the council" actually got along in order to make important decisions. Instead of mentioning his observations on the matter, he simply said, "Wouldn't it seem fit to ask Miss Higurashi what exactly she wished to accomplish by coming to New York to speak with you and your colleagues?"

The room was quiet as the white-haired old man thought his suggestion over. Across the table, Miss Higurashi offered him a wobbly smile of thanks. Naraku just turned his head away to hide his predatory smirk. They were all playing right into his hands.

At the head of the table, Mr. Alexander nodded his slightly-bald head. "That is an excellent proposal Mr. Onigumo. Thank you."

"My pleasure," Naraku said coolly, darting a glance at the young woman across the table from himself.

"Well, Ms. Higurashi," Old Man Alexander directed his attention to Kagome. "What say you?"

Swallowing thickly, the heiress hastily took a swig of water and fiddled with the rim of her glass. All eyes were on her and she had no idea what to say.

"Well," she began timidly. "I never lived in my grandparents' house until about four days ago when I arrived in New York. When I was little, my parents and I lived in a house in Manhattan while my grandparents lived there. And when I was eight, my grandparents and I moved to Kenya in order to serve the people there. I'm going back after we are done here because I've decided to continue their work."

Taking a deep breath, she turned her eyes up to meet those of "the council". "I know the house is supposed to stay in the family because my grandparents wanted it to be. It's an amazing place and it's so big… it's too big. For me at least. I'm used to living humbly and having such an extravagant place all to myself is too much. I don't want it."

"Well then," one of the council members who was portly and had watery eyes said loudly. "We will just have to sell it. The money will be transferred to the Higurashi account and Miss Higurashi can return to her humanitarian work. All settled."

"Um, I wasn't quite finished," Kagome said softly, cutting off the chatter that had crescendoed after his statement. All eyes zeroed in on her once more with such intensity it nearly knocked the breath out of her. Laying her hands on the table, she leaned forward for support. "I was going to say that instead of keeping the estate for myself, I was hoping to put it to better use."

"Exactly, we'll sell it so that someone else can live there," another council member said incredulously.

Kagome shook her head. "You misunderstand. I don't want to sell my family's estate. I want to use it for something other than a huge building I probably won't come back to on my own."

"What do you propose it be used for, Ms. Higurashi?" Mr. Alexander asked, a bit baffled.

"I want to turn it into a home for other people," Kagome said quietly, a soft smile flitting across her face. "There are enough rooms to house many people and the woods and gardens are perfect to get away from the busy noises of the city. It's a perfect sanctuary."

"A home for whom, exactly, Miss Higurashi," a woman with a harsh bun asked skeptically.

"Well, I was thinking a home for families who have lost their homes to fires and can't support their children, families that have a family member in the hospital and can't pay the mortgage – much less the hospital bills – or single-parent families that are struggling to make ends meet because their spouse died and they have no one else to turn to. Perhaps even all of those scenarios. I've been thinking about it the past couple of days while I've been going through the house and realized its potential to be so much more than a big house that no one's lived in for over ten years."

Kagome waited patiently as the men and women around the table thought her proposition over. She really hoped they would agree. She didn't want to sell her family's old home after spending time in it and going through the physical remains of her heritage. But she knew that she couldn't live there alone; Inuyasha wasn't going to stay forever and she had to get back to her home in Kenya. This idea was her solution to everything.

Slowly, heads began to nod around the table and smiles spread across otherwise-stoic faces for the first time that day. Appreciative murmurs whispered through the conference room. Kagome sighed in relief and a weight was lifted off of her shoulders.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Ms. Higurashi," Mr. Alexander said warmly as he snapped a stack of papers against the desk to straighten them out. "Your grandparents would be proud."

Kagome smiled slightly and ducked her head bashfully. Mr. Alexander cleared his throat once more and addressed the people around the table once more. "All right then. Now that that is settled, let us proceed with the rest of the will."

Kagome reached for her glass of water once more, this time not out of nervousness. Taking a sip, her eyes traveled up to the mysterious Mr. Onigumo across from her. Instead of the cool business man who had helped her earlier with his suave manners and haughty smirk, his face was twisted into a sneer and the fist upon the table in front of him was clenched tightly, his knuckles bone white. Kagome gasped and hastily set her cup down on the smooth surface of the table, almost spilling the remainder of her water on the stained wood. Mr. Onigumo flashed her a pseudo-sincere look before turning away. Kagome's hands trembled in her lap; not because she'd almost created a pond on the conference table – she had nearly spilt her water because of the expression Mr. Onigumo had been wearing for a split second, the expression he had directed solely at her…

X

Miroku paid the cab driver while Sango stood on the curb and stared up at the large structure. 'Well,' she thought with an amused hint of a smile, 'he sure knows how to pick a hideout.' As soon as Miroku was finished and joined her in front of the Higurashi Mansion, she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and strode up the walkway to confront the temperamental actor about his disappearing act.

"Sango!" Miroku yelped as he raced after her. "Wait up!"

Sango just shook her head and rang the doorbell. Miroku caught up with her, leaning his hands on his knees and attempting to catch his breath, as the last chime faded inside the house. Glancing down at her winded partner, she tried to keep the smile from her face but was fairly unsuccessful.

"Wow, Miroku," she giggled out, "you're really out of shape. What happened?"

Miroku just glared up at her, his flushed cheeks puffing out as he inhaled and exhaled. She covered her smile with a hand and turned away, just in time to see the door open to reveal a very startled silver-haired young man in a rumpled pair of tuxedo pants and shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top couple of buttons undone. He gaped at the duo for a few silent moments at a loss for words. They stared right back at him, waiting for… something to happen and unsure of exactly how to approach what was inevitably going to happen once the shock wore off.

"S-Sango… Miroku…" he stuttered. "W-what are you guys doing here?"

X

It took surprisingly less time to actually read her grandmother's will than it did discussing what would happen to most of her assets since it was impractical for Kagome to take most of what was still in the United States back to Kenya. They determined that the family company would continue to be run by the board of directors as it had been since her grandparents left to become missionaries. However, Kagome proposed creating a new department that would directly work with the independent missions program her grandparents had set up and would help to fund a new hospital and other facilities that were needed desperately.

Meetings to discuss converting her old family home into a functioning home and care center for multiple families as well as the new department were scheduled for the next few weeks. Kagome was now free to return to the house now that everything was settled and taken care of. After the initial start of the hearing and her first proposal, the rest of the afternoon had gone smoothly and she was beginning to feel better about the outcome of coming to New York to settle her grandmother's remaining accounts and the estate.

Walking out of the large conference room, Kagome mused about the strange Mr. Onigumo who had helped her out in he beginning and then become chillingly hostile towards her as the afternoon went on. After the matter of the mansion had been settled, he didn't speak until the hearing was over except for quiet whispered orders to his secretary before leaving abruptly as soon as they were adjourned. She'd been contemplating thanking him for his help, even though his occasional furious glances sent chills up her arms. Still, he'd shown compassion towards her for a few minutes that had been crucial for her to gain her courage and stand up to the council; the least she could do was thank him.

But now he was gone and she probably wouldn't see him ever again. Shrugging, she smiled at the receptionist and skipped over to the elevator. Time to go home and share the good news with Inuyasha.

"Kagome Higurashi," a feminine voice called from somewhere behind her.

Whipping her head around, she saw the secretary who had sat next to Mr. Onigumo earlier that day leaning against an empty desk. She was poised and graceful, even standing motionless in a drab office building. Kagome felt like a scrappy and unrefined high school student compared to her.

"Um, yes? What can I do for you?" she asked politely, turning around to walk up to her.

"Mr. Onigumo would like a word with you before you leave," the woman said blandly, obviously disinterested in what her employer wanted the young heiress for, although her dark eyes twinkled in silent warning.

Kagome caught the subtle look and nodded, plastering a cheerful smile on her face. "Oh, all right then. Where is he?"

The woman slanted a searching glance at her before nodding slightly in acceptance. "Follow me," she muttered before turning and heading towards a dark, supposedly unoccupied office down the hall. Kagome trailed after her curiously, frowning at the woman's back and wondering what was going on.

X

Miroku was the first to recover. "Uh, hey, Inuyasha…" he said, straightening up and scratching sheepishly behind his ear. "Ol' buddy ol' pal…" At the look the young actor-in-hiding gave him, he gave a soft chuckle that trailed off embarrassedly and looked away.

Inuyasha turned to Sango for a more helpful response, one finely sculpted eyebrow quirked questioningly. Sango just stared down at her feet and the faded welcome mat beneath them. What was she supposed to say – "Hey Inuyasha. Sorry to intrude, but it's time to come back to reality and face your mother's funeral plans like a good actor and son"? Yeah, like that would go over well…

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the doorframe. Well they looked like crap… "Whatever, you'll tell me eventually." They both remained silent and he looked from one to the other. The awkward tension in the air hovered between them and he stood up, moving out of the doorway to allow them to cross the threshold. "Come on in. There's nothing much for me to do today anyway…"

The two assistants walked into the front hall silently and sullenly followed after him as he moved further into the quiet, empty mansion.

X

Stepping into the dark room, Kagome hesitated to let her eyes adjust to the contrast in lighting. Blinking, she spotted darker shadows she assumed were chairs and a desk where a humanoid shadow sat. She could only guess at whom that was…

"Come in, Miss Higurashi; have a seat." Mr. Onigumo's voice flowed through the room to her ears and prickled the sensitive skin on her neck. With a slight shiver, she sat in one of the uncomfortably overstuffed chairs in front of the desk.

X

"So…" Inuyasha began once they were all seated at the kitchen table, bowls of Lucky Charms in front of them. "How'd you find me?"

Sango hastily gulped down the spoonful of cereal she'd just put in her mouth, choking on the un-chewed pieces that caught in her throat. Miroku patted her on the back, purposefully paying careful attention to his choking coworker so as to act like he didn't hear his best friends question. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and hunched over his bowl, waiting for the two to calm down and get around to answering his questions willingly.

This was honestly getting ridiculous. They'd known each other for years and he knew they were all very close. The only reason they'd be acting like this would be if something were wrong and they were trying to protect him. This was just like the time that he'd been dating that awful pop star and they'd found out she was cheating on him with a back-up dancer and they didn't want to tell him, fearing that he'd be crushed when in reality he'd been about to break up with her anyway.

Dropping his spoon into his bowl, he leveled a steady gaze at the pair and waited for them to stop fidgeting and look him in the eye. It took a minute or two, but they finally did so nervously. Inuyasha shook his head and the corners of his lips turned up slightly. "You know, I'm not going to flay you just because you know something you think I'm going to react badly to. So just get it over with so that we can get on with our lives. Stretching this whole thing out is just going to make it worse."

Sango and Miroku glanced at each other. It would save some time and Inuyasha was known to react better when told directly and not in a roundabout way like they'd been doing. They might as well get it over with…

"Kagura called this morning and told us where you were. Naraku wants you back immediately," Miroku said quietly, not looking him in the eye. Sango was staring down at the few floating cereal pieces in the slightly colored milk left over from the little marshmallow pieces.

Inuyasha nodded and stood up to dump his extra milk in the sink and rinse out his bowl. His assistants watched him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. He turned on the tap and swished water around in his bowl steadily, all of his focus on his task. Once he was finished, he snagged a dishtowel from the towel bar on the wall beside the over and wiped his hands dry, surveying the kitchen silently.

"You know, I figured you'd come get me sooner or later," he commented without turning around. "Heck, I was hoping sooner for the first few days. But… now I'm kinda wishing it were later."

He turned back around and threw the towel on the counter before sitting down at the table again. Sango and Miroku stared back at him, not really sure what to say to his confession. Questions raced through their minds as they fished for something to say in response. Finally, Sango spoke up.

"Inuyasha… What happened?"

X

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Onigumo?" Kagome inquired once she was seated.

The dark shadow of the man chuckled darkly. "Oh, no. Nothing really. I just wanted to congratulate you on your wonderful negotiation skills. You did very well today going up against so many high-profile lawyers and businessmen when you yourself have no experience in the field whatsoever."

Kagome eyed his silhouette warily. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Mr. Onigumo…"

"Please, call me Naraku."

Kagome just nodded slightly. "Naraku then… If you don't mind my asking, is that all? I have somewhere else to be, you see and…"

Naraku waved his hand in airy dismissal. "Oh, it's quite all right. It will just take a moment. You see, I understand completely. Inuyasha can be a very demanding person."

Her breath caught in her throat. How did he know about…?

Naraku chuckled once more as he rose to his feet. "Oh, yes, I know all about your tenant. You see, he is my client. You might say that, as his manager, I know him very… intimately."

X

Inuyasha had just spent the last hour or so relaying the last couple of days to the two rather shocked personal assistants. They now sat at the kitchen table with their jaws stuck to the smooth grain work. Their closed-off, brutish employer had actually fallen in love with a girl in a way that they wouldn't be surprised to discover was the plotline to a chick flick. And Inuyasha refused to touch chick flicks with a thirty-seven foot pole.

Inuyasha stared down at the tabletop in slight embarrassment. He knew what they were probably thinking and even he found it out of character for himself. But despite the blush, another trait that was unusual for him, staining his cheeks, he couldn't help the grin that accompanied it.

Sango was the first to say anything, effectively breaking the silence with a breathy "Wow…" of disbelief. Miroku grinned up at his good friend, obviously forming some lewd comment that Sango would punch him for. But before he could get out the first word, the front door of the house opened and slammed shut.

Inuyasha jumped up, excited that Kagome was home and that he could introduce her to his friends and draw her even further into his personal life outside of the movie business. He caught himself though before he bolted from his chair and skidded out of the kitchen and down the hardwood-floored hallway in his eagerness to see her again. Sango and Miroku already thought he was insane – he didn't need to solidify their newfound assumptions about him. Instead, he leisurely shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the room and down the hall.

Halfway to the front hall, he encountered the woman of the hour… but she did not look happy. Inuyasha hesitated for half a second but shook it off. She couldn't be mad at him – he'd done nothing wrong and she'd been gone all day. It must be something else…

"Hey, Kagome!" he greeted cheerfully, moving to give her a hug. But instead of a hug in return, Kagome dodged out of his arms and swung back before bringing her arm forward and punching him in the jaw.

Inuyasha reeled back in surprise and pain. What–what had he done do deserve that?! Staring at the irate woman in shock, he rubbed tenderly at his swelling jaw, unsure of what was going on.

"What kind of a sick jerk are you?!" Kagome yelled in his face, the volume and pitch of her voice increase with each word. "Why would you do this to me?" Tears began to well and swim in her eyes as she glared accusingly up at him.

"Wha…?" he was utterly confused now. What was she talking about?

"Did you think that I wouldn't find out? That a movie star I've never heard of was living with me for the past few days? Do you think I'm that stupid?!" she cried, wiping futilely at the hot, angry, ridiculously embarrassing tears that were leaking down her face. She didn't want to cry in front of him – not after the utter humiliation he'd put her through without her even knowing it. It just wasn't fair. Why did she have to develop feelings for him only to fins out he was just playing with her?

Inuyasha was reeling again. "What? No! I just… didn't want you to know because… Well, because–"

"Because you didn't want me to find out about your little 'plan' for my family's estate, right?" she cut him off, not wanting to hear his made up excuses. Naraku had warned her about that. And she wasn't going to listen to anymore of his lies. Not after today.

"Well, guess what, I'm not selling this place! I'm turning it into a home for more deserving people than some spoiled celebrity that wants a new place to show off to fawning fans only to tear it down and build something 'bigger and better' in six months! So you can just take you're selfish, egomaniacal self and get out of my life!" And with that, Kagome stormed off, leaving a stunned silver-haired prince of the silver screen in the large foyer with his two personal assistants who'd come to investigate the commotion and had heard most of her rant.

After her words finally sunk in, Inuyasha visibly drooped. She hated him. Not that he understood why, but it was clear how she felt about him.

Miroku strode over and gently clapped him on the shoulder. "Well," he said as cheerfully as possible, "she sure seems as… spunky… as you described."

Sango sprang forward and smacked him across the back of the head. Miroku yelped and stared at her. "What was that for?"

Sango just shook her head. "You're such an idiot, Miroku…" she muttered as she walked over to her employer. She laid a hand on his arm carefully. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha just nodded his head quietly and glanced discreetly in the direction that Kagome had left in. She was headed toward her room… Miroku and Sango saw the glance but didn't comment. They knew to give the young star his space.

Inuyasha sighed and turned toward the door. "C'mon. We should get out of here."

The two assistants hesitated slightly. He didn't want to try and make up with her? When he talked to them about her they could tell how infatuated he was with her…

"Inuyasha?" Miroku called softly. The actor in question stopped and barely turned his head in acknowledgment. "Are… are you sure?"

The silver-haired young man was silent for a moment before jerking his head in a slight nod and opening the front door. He crossed the threshold with dragging, shuffled steps, his personal assistants in tow. As Miroku called for a cab on his cell phone, attempting to be a quiet as possible, Inuyasha glanced back up at the large mansion forlornly. Even as he entered the cab and they drove away, he still stared at the place he'd spent the past few days in, wishing that the girl who hadn't left his thoughts for four days would come running out and stop the car. But… she didn't. And as they turned the corner and he lost sight of the Higurashi Estate, he knew that she wouldn't.

Back in her temporary room, Kagome was hastily repacking her suitcases while she gasped for air between sobs. She was going back home to Kenya where no handsome, deceptive movie stars could come after her… no matter how much she wished he would…

E

Final Notes:

I think this was the longest chapter of this whole story… Fourteen pages… Shock. Just for the record, I have no concept of the study of law or anything dealing with a person's will and inheritances and stuff like that. So the scene where Grandma Higurashi's will was read is what I've gleaned from movies and stuff. I have no idea if it's true (might not be); so don't get on my case if it's not. I took creative liberties with this. For anyone who cares, this is the last official chapter of Love is Blind. It's been fun writing this as a little piece of improbable and romantic-ish fiction. It's been a pretty entertaining distraction from reality and the crap that's been going on in my life for the past couple years (not that it was bad crap per say, just crap). I honestly didn't think that many people would like it or be so interested in it, but I was really surprised and extremely giddy after every update and saw the feedback to this thing. It was awesome being able to share this with you all. Hopefully I'll be able to continue producing stories that people enjoy reading. Thanks for reading! That's all I ask for. – Hope Swings