Secrets Beneath the Surface by SesshysRose

Still of the Night

Disclaimer: Okay, I don’t own Inuyasha or any of its characters, and I don’t own Lips of an Angel by Hinder…each belongs to their distinguished owners.

Secrets Beneath the Surface

That’s Life

Honey why you calling me so late?

It’s kinda hard to talk right now.

Sesshoumaru faintly heard the phone ring on the mahogany wood nightstand positioned on his side of the bed. Without even opening his eyes, he grabbed for the phone, wondering who in their right mind would call at such a ghastly hour. His smooth baritone voice slipped from his lips and vibrated pleasantly into the awaiting ear of another on the other side of the line.

 “Hello?”

            A moment of pause almost had Sesshoumaru wondering if the offending member had hung up, but as he made to return the phone to the cradle with a sigh, the voice that reached his half responsive ears had his full attention within a matter of mere seconds.

“Sesshoumaru?”

            Clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru fought to stay calm, through his obvious discomfort. He forced his body to sit upright in bed, and tugged at the satin sheets that protected him from the August chill. His voice barely above a whisper, he held the phone tightly to his cheek, the speaker pressed roughly to his ear.

“Kagome, can’t this wait until tomorrow? You know the situation.”

Honey why are you crying? Is everything okay?

I gotta whisper ‘cause I can’t be too loud.

            “I know, but Sesshoumaru…we both know…” Kagome began, only to be broken by a bout of suppressed tears. Sesshoumaru shifted on the bed, the cold, silk sheets feeling good against his skin.

“Kagome,” his voice cracking slightly with alarm. He knew Kagome wasn’t the one to cry for just any reason.

 “Are you okay?” he finished, seeming perfectly calm against the storm of conflict the rose within his body. He wanted to be there to comfort her. Dry her tears. Hold her close, but he was here, with his family.

            “I’m tired, Sesshoumaru. This secret…is too much. We need to talk. Tell me, aren’t you tired of whispering?”

The conviction evident in Kagome’s voice did not bide well in the pit of Sesshoumaru’s stomach. He threw a half-assed excuse out there, the panic of possibly losing her, causing him to act out of character. He never made excuses for anything, yet here he was now.

 “You know how light of a sleeper Rin tends to be. I don’t think she would take to being woken up at 4:30 in the morning.”

Well, my girl’s in the next room

Sometimes I wish she was you

            The voice that snapped over the line was short and curt; it seemed Kagome had thought of this long and hard.

 “What about Kagura? She may be a bitch, but even she doesn’t deserve this.” Kagome quipped. Sesshoumaru glanced at the bedside, noting the wrinkled sheets fully for the first time, void of the usual body. The slight noises down the hall told him Rin had woken up with a nightmare once again, and Kagura had gone to ease the child’s strife.

“I don’t need her.” The words came out unbidden, and Sesshoumaru couldn’t truthfully say he hadn’t wholeheartedly meant them. “I need you.” These words also sprung from his lips before so much as the thought could register in his mind. He had to admit, the answer she gave was most definitely not the response he expected.

“But Rin needs her. You can’t deny your little girl her mother.” The cold tone in Kagome’s voice showed the seriousness she possessed.

I guess we never really moved on

It’s really good to hear your voice say my name

It sounds so sweet

Coming from the lips of an angel

Hearing those words it makes me weak

            “Kagome.” The words came from his lips, pained and desperate. He needed her. Thoughts raced through his mind like mere seconds through a day. He could take Rin; they could run. Kagome’s reason broke through the phone as clear as if she was standing right next to him.

“You know we can’t run Sesshoumaru. The positions we’re in…it’s impractical. We both know that.” Her last sentence came out a whisper, the tears and sleep she had lost over this predicament was taking its toll on her. She was so tired.

            “This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t of married Kagura.” Sesshoumaru countered after a moment of uncomfortable silence fell over the two, only the hum of the phone in Sesshoumaru’s ear reminding him he was having a life shattering conversation with the woman he loved. He heard Kagome’s snort even over the receiver.

 “We did what we were supposed to do. We did promise each other we would see other people. You did nothing wrong, in fact you have Rin as a testament to that. Okay, so Kagura isn’t the best wife, but she loves Rin, or at least acts like it.” Kagome answered.

 He heard her sigh, the telltale sign of the slapping of her slippers on tile telling him she was pacing in the kitchen, the only room in her apartment that wasn’t carpeted. He should know, the last few years he had spent a lot of time in that apartment. He could easily say he had even memorized points of each room. The sofa in the living room as well as that gigantic chair she had in the corner…the table in the kitchen with its rich red finish... his mind flew off on a string of not-so-pure thoughts, only to be ruptured by Kagome’s voice in his ear. His name from her lips, sounding so utterly torn and tired, still made him shiver with need; still caused his mouth to go absolutely dry, still made him want her with the passion he had for her the first day they met.

And I never want to say goodbye

But girl you make it hard to be faithful

With the lips of an angel

            Sesshoumaru could hear Kagura’s tentative steps as she quietly walked down the hall. The uncomfortable silence said it all as Kagome hefted a hearty sigh.

 “She’s coming, isn’t she?” forgoing waiting for any answer, she cleared her throat, “Sesshoumaru, we still have to talk.” And without another word, she hung up, leaving Sesshoumaru dangling thoughtfully on the other end.

 He was placing the receiver on the cradle just as Kagura entered the room. Her venomous voice shredded the night’s vesper without though. “Business this late at night, Sesshoumaru?”

            Sesshoumaru turned away from the vile woman as she slipped under the covers in the bed next to him. Ignoring the question asked of him, Sesshoumaru burrowed beneath the pillows, fighting for sleep to claim him.

“Get some sleep, Kagura. It’s late and I would hate to see Rin late to school again because you couldn’t get out of bed.” Shifting of the bed was his only reply as he stared reflectively out into the dark of the room. He was tired of the secrets. Maybe it was time for something to be done. Someone had to go, and if he had anything to say about it, it sure the hell wouldn’t be Kagome.

A.N. I just want to thank my beta, Teana, for correcting any flaws in my chapters!