Marriage Difficulties by inumaru_rapture

One-shot

It has been a very long time since they had any together time. It had been about a year ago when he started working double shifts at the office, about the same amount of time that his father had fallen ill. He was taking over to try and pick up the pieces that had befallen the company, and at the same time, allowed his own marriage to suffer drastically. They had only been married a few days when everything had gone down hill, and the stress had been so dramatic that his wife was not working to conserve her strength. She was currently 5 months pregnant with their first child, having been conceived in the very office he was spending his every waking, and sometimes, sleeping moments. His poor wife busied herself in creating beautiful wood carvings to sell on the internet. One of her many talents were being able to shape even the most disfigured pieces of wood into a beautiful carving.

His wife, Kagome, was in the middle of carving a special piece for her husband, in order to surprise him into sleeping well. He hadn't been able to sleep a full night in almost a month, whether it was because the phone was ringing or his mind would not cease. His father had been increasingly becoming healthier by each passing day, but his illness was not something one could easily hop over at his age. Kagome was bent over, her keen brown eyes focusing on the piece of wood in her hands; it was slowly becoming the fierce dog she had imagined for him. Her stomach lurched painfully. Sitting back, she pressed a hand onto her abdomen. She thought of the food she had eaten, when she felt the urge to purge her lunch sweep through her. It reminded her of morning sickness, but much worse. She hurried from her work room to the bathroom. A maid that had been bringing her afternoon tea gasped in surprise as her lady went running past into the bathroom. The maid hurried after, worried, took a peek into the bathroom, and then ran to call an ambulance.

Kagome purged over the side of the porcelain toilet bowl and vaguely remembered how and where they met.

~~**~~

Kagome had been working the late night shift at the dinner where she worked on the corner of Old and New Tokyo. She had been working there for almost 3 years, having started in her junior year of high school to help pay for things around the house when her mother fell ill. When Kagome went into college, her mother died of heart failure, and Kagome was granted custody of her little brother, Souta. At the moment, Souta was taking his entrance exams to get into college, and Kagome was almost finished with college. They had lived together in a small apartment in Old Tokyo, where they could afford to rent a little two bedroom apartment from a very nice old landlord, Kaede.

It was that day that Kagome had been waiting for, her brother was trying to get into a good college, and she was going to be promoted to manager of the dinner. Cookie, the owner, and cook, had just fired his other manager for stealing from the cash register, and was planning on promoting one of his two star employees, Kagome or Sango. Kagome and Sango had been friends since before high school, before middle school, and before elementary school. Some said that they were born in the same room and became friends just as fast as they breathed their first breath. Kagome was grateful to always have Sango's friendship, and whoever was promoted wouldn't matter, since they would be friends forever.

Kagome was busy cleaning a spill of coffee on the floor when He came in. He stood a miraculous 6 foot 4 inches, and his hair was a brilliant silver color. He was wearing a black Armani suit, and was apparently out of place in the modest little dinner. He didn't seem to care or mind either, as he made his way to a booth in the corner. He sat with his back to the rest of the dinner and opened the menu that was stashed behind the condiment holder.

Kagome was in awe of his beauty and majestic grace. She finished scrubbing the floor with her eyes watching him. As she stood up, she noticed a mischievous grin on Sango's face. Kagome gave her a questioning look as she smoothed her work skirt. Sango motioned to the man in the corner and mouthed, 'you take'em.' Kagome blushed, and brushed a loose strand of black hair behind her ear and tucked it into her red bandana that was holding her hair back. She grabbed the pot of coffee, regular not decaf, and made her way over to him.

She was nervous, but this man was another customer, and deserved her award-winning smile...or at least, she was told it was award-winning.

"Good evening, Sir. Is there anything I can get for you today?" She asked, stopping in front of his table. He looked up at her, his eyes a liquid, molten gold. He was absolutely perfect up-close, the ideal man. He looked down at the menu.

"Strong coffee," he said, his voice, though attractive in its own way, was cold, deep, and masculine. She flipped over his porcelain cup and poured some of the contents out into the cup.

"This is our strongest brew we have, it's from Rwanda, and it has a very good and strong taste." She said all that out of thought to maybe put him at ease that not all dinner coffee was terrible. It was also as she said this that she was smiling her brightest, and he had glanced up at her for a moment, then back down at the menu. She wrapped an arm around her waist and held it on her opposite hip, her elbow resting on her hand. "Do you need a couple of minutes?"

"Hn," was his response. He said nothing further so Kagome left to return the coffee to the heater.

Sango had been watching from across the dinner, where she and a regular were chatting softly. Sango gave Kagome a 'V' for victory and Kagome blushed. She was berating herself in her head for blabbering about the coffee when she waited until he folded the menu, and sipped at his coffee.

Kagome went back with a glass of water and set it on the table.

"Come to a decision?" She asked, smiling brightly incase he would look again.

"Hn," she guessed was a sound of affirmation, since he went on to verbalizing his order. When he was finished, she asked a question.

"Now, that comes with a bowl of soup, we have homemade clam chowder and chicken dumpling."

He picked chicken dumpling, and Kagome ginned. "Great choice, I'll have that brought right out to you." With that she went to the back counter and sent the order into Cookie, who teased her about serving such a handsome young man.

Somehow, and neither could really explain why, they had begun talking throughout his stay at the dinner, and in the end, exchanged phone numbers. After he left, Sango squealed out in happiness and hugged her friend.

"I hope he calls!" Sango exclaimed happily.

~~**~~

Kagome was helped onto the stretcher, tears were leaking from her eyes as she pain in her abdomen continued to pound into her nerve system. Her maid had phoned her husband at work, and her brother--who was supposed to be meeting with Kagome for afternoon tea in about an hour. Kagome's thoughts weren't on anyone else, but she was concerned for her baby. She hoped it was okay.

~~**~~

She ended up receiving a phone call from him the next day when she was studying in the universities' common room area. She was overjoyed and shocked to hear from him so soon. It was no wonder she could still remember the conversation years later.

"Moshi moshi, Higarashi Kagome speaking," Kagome whispered, while standing from her work table and moved to a corner of the room, so as not to bother anyone else around her.

"Higarashi-san, this is Taisho Sesshoumaru. I believe we spoke last night at the dinner..." he trailed off. Kagome's face lit up.

"Hai! I remember! How are you, Taisho-san?"

"Very well. I find myself in an awkward position, since I normally do not call back the women I meet...especially in such a strange one that we did, but you have intrigued me. I would like to meet with you again, would you be willing?"

Kagome had agreed, but not too quickly, not taking too long of a hesitation before answering either. They agreed to meet that night at a club, since Kagome had her one night off after being promoted to manager. After saying farewell, Kagome hung up and laughed out loud. A large chorus of 'shhh' met her ears as she bowed and apologized to the group around her.

~~**~~

Kagome lay on the hospital bed. Her brother was talking with the doctor about how to take care of her. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes. She had been informed that she had just miscarried their first child, a son, as it would have been. She was heart broken. She had wanted to give Sesshoumaru his son so badly, and even, in a way, needed to give him his son, so that he may have been home more. It was a selfish wish, but she needed her husband back, and the only way to get him back was to give him a child, or so she had thought. She lay in wait for her husband, needing his gentle support and soft words of encouragement. As she waited, she thought of their life together so far.

~~**~~

They had started dating soon after they had gone to the club. She learned a lot about him, which he said was strange for any person to know anything about him. She did not learn, nor did she ask what he did for a living, or why he was so rich. He was down-to-earth, silent, and cold at times, but he said it was only because of his family and work situation. Kagome learned of him, and told him of her past and family. She found herself falling in love with him. When she introduced him to her brother, they had found a common interest in Japanese art and calligraphy, a strange hobby for modern Japanese people, men especially, to have.

After meeting her brother, she introduced him to her friends and her colleagues, who all loved his subtle charm and wit.

He, in tern, introduced her to his world. His world was on a completely different planet to her. He was the wealthy son of the nation's most prosperous law firm and Robot Company. He was the heir to the throne of all things high class, high society, and perfect breeding. Kagome never thought she would be accepted. Once she met his father, though, all that changed. His father was a gentle, benevolent, and caring man. When it was just the three of them, there were happy times and laughter. When they were at work, however, there was the cold exterior and the serious attitude.

Kagome learned subtle ways to show her love and devotion to the family by making very elaborate and delicious lunches, sending a small letter by mail to their office to tell how much the world appreciated their work--inserting some newspaper clippings or letters from people who they have helped into the envelopes.

Soon, 4 years passed, and Sesshoumaru proposed. They spend two years planning their marriage, and honeymooned in the mountains of New Zealand in a little cabin that allowed for them to make as much noise as humanly possible without getting anyone else offended. They had to cut their honeymoon short, however, when Sesshoumaru's father had phoned, needing his son to come home. He had been diagnosed with leukemia, and the process to try and help him live was a long and exhausting. Sesshoumaru was forced to pick up the slack of his father, and continued on doing both jobs. He was at home less and less, and only took of time when Kagome had called and said she was pregnant. The stress of trying to juggle their lives, working, and trying to keep the family together was wearing down Kagome. Sesshoumaru instructed her to stay home after she had fainted at work. She did as he asked, taking maternity leave from her job as a historian.

She had started making wood carvings for extra money and for something else to do. It had all gotten worse as she got less and less sleep waiting up for her husband. Worries met her as she began to imagine he was sleeping around, since whenever she phoned, the secretary would answer. When she questioned him, he would shrug her off and turn over and go to sleep. She would phone and speak with her father-in-law until he got worried and spoke with his son about things. She did not know this, and in turn, ended up having a miscarriage the day her father-in-law had decided to talk to his son. This had inadvertently put him into a very foul mood, so when he received the phone call his wife had been sent to the hospital, he snapped a little--out of a mixture of fear, anger, and mostly worry. That is how he arrived at the hospital and greeted his wife...

~~**~~

Kagome looked up when someone entered the room, she had been picking at her fingers, and some of the bits around her nails were bleeding from her torture to them. She tried to smile at her husband, but the hard look in his eye made her want to cower. She had been hoping to see her husband, and now, she just wanted him to go away.

"You killed our child?" his voice was eerily cold, quiet, and harsh. Kagome felt the tears spill from her eyes. Her mouth opened to retort when he growled at her. "You accuse me of sleeping around; run to my father to get him to talk to me, and then kill our child! You are a witch, a terrible, horrible, witch!" His last words were almost yelled, not loud enough to be a yell, but loud enough to draw Kagome's brother into the room and the doctor. "I want you out of my home and out of my life," his words were harsh, making Kagome suck in a breath. Her eyes narrowed, her anger swelling up.

"It's not like you'd be there to tell if I'm in YOUR home or not!" Kagome bit out. Sesshoumaru took a menacing step towards the wounded girl in the bed. Souta hurried in front of him.

"You will not harm my sister, your wife," Souta growled, his arms stretched out on either side of him.

"This does not concern you, whelp," Sesshoumaru grit out. Souta glared daggers.

"It does when you want to harm my sister. Just go." Sesshoumaru growled and stormed from the room.

"She is not my wife!" was his last declaration before hastily leaving the hospital. Once he left, Kagome broke down, sobbing.

~~**~~

Later that day, Kagome had her things moved from the house and into her brother's apartment across town. Sango had come to help, her eyes red from crying also. Kagome returned to where she had dropped the wood carving for her husband. She moved to pick it up, but turned and left it there. She shut the door behind her, and left the love of her life behind.

~~**~~

Sesshoumaru paced the dark, empty mansion. He was avoiding going to bed, his guilt was overwhelming. He had been unable to function normally ever since he yelled at his wife... his actions were dishonorable, filthy, and below him. Yet, why did he take out his frustration on her? Things had been getting better at work, the man he had hired, Miroku, was working out very nicely, aside from his lecherous attempts on the secretary and other women working with them. He was actually working so hard, that Sesshoumaru had been able to take naps during the day, eat a longer lunch, and return home earlier, though he had not returned home early.

He had gone to the bar to drink before returning home. He had no idea how to regain his wife, and thus, he had started drinking heavier and heavier. He attested his outburst on the fact he had downed three whiskies in the limo on the way over. He was ashamed of himself, and he desired to get his wife back--but he needed time to make it up to her.

He came to the room where she made her wood carvings. Turning on a fluorescent light, he saw the wood shavings on the ground, and the wood carving in the middle of it, cracked up the side. He bent and picked up the unfinished piece and held it in his hands. It was a dog, one that looked like the painting his mother had done when she was alive that was hanging in their bedroom. A droplet of water struck his hand. Another dropped onto the wood carving. He held the last piece of his wife in his hands and put it against his heart. He stood, weeping, for what seemed like hours before the ring of the phone brought him out of this stupor.

~~**~~

It had been almost two weeks since she had lost their baby. She was living in the spare bedroom in her brother's apartment he shared with his girlfriend. She had stayed in her room almost the entirety of the two weeks, not seeing anyone else but her brother and Sango. They were worried about her, mostly when she was alone at night. Some of the things she said had them worried she was suicidal.

"I want to go to my baby..." she whispered to herself in her dark room. Her brother was at work and his girlfriend was down the hall talking with one of her friends in another apartment. Kagome looked at the wedding picture in her hands; her index finder traced her husband's face. Had she been able to cry anymore, she would have been.

With an absent minded thought, she reached for the phone and made a phone call.

~~**~~

"Yes?" A man's voice answered.

"Sesshoumaru..." the woman's voice did not sound like anything...it sounded cold, distant, and lost.

"Kagome..." the man's voice was a whisper. How he had longed to hear her voice again!

"I am calling to say good-bye."

...

"I am calling to tell you I love you, and have always loved you..." Here her voice choked. He grew worried. "I will tell you how wonderful our son is when I meet him..." Panic rose in his breast. The phone disconnected as he screamed out into the phone: "Kagome! Wait!"

He dropped the phone, running from his bedroom and down the stairs to the ground floor. He grabbed his coat and car keys as he ran as fast as he could to his car. Squealing from the drive way, he tried calling her cell phone. It went right to her voicemail. Her happy, cheery voice rang out over his phone. Tears sprung to his eyes as he ran through a stop sign.

"Please wait...please wait for me, Kagome..."

~~**~~

He arrived at the apartment, parked illegally, and jumped from his car, people shouting at him to move his car.

"TOW IT!" he roared as he ran into the building. The elevator was too slow, so he ran up the 4 flights of stairs to her floor. Banging open the door to the hallway and running down the hallway, he slid to a stop in front of her door. He pounded on the door.

"Kagome!" He cried, trying the door. It opened, and he hurried inside. No one was there; he hurried to the right, into his brother-in-law's room. No one. He ran the other way, calling for Kagome as he went.

He banged open her door and saw her sitting on the edge of her bed, a gun in her hands. Dropping to his knees, he yanked the gun from her limp grasp and flung it away from them. Her eyes were pale, and her tears were flowing.

"Kagome...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Koi..." he whispered, pulling her into his arms. She sobbed loudly into his shoulder, dropping down onto his lap as he pulled her to him. He was whispering apologies, crying, and soothing her hair when Souta's girlfriend hurried into the room. She looked shocked, but turned and left them alone, shutting the door.

Kagome was blubbering nonsense, sobbing into his dress shirt. Sesshoumaru was blubbering apologies, swearing he'd never ever force her away, never ever berate her, and never ever accuse her of evils when she was obviously innocent. They staid like that for a while, once they stopped talking, and they just held each other.

"Please forgive me."