Author's Note
Hey everybody!
I've actually gone and made some really minor adjustments to the first chapter because it was one of those things I just never really was happy with. I think I finally wrestled it into a state of submission that I'm pleased with. Overall, I'm actually pretty excited about this story. I hope you are too!
Or, at least, I think I have enough excitement, curve-balls, and sexiness upcoming to keep you eager for more :D
Also, as my one and only disclaimer for this story and all my others, I own zero part of Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi financially owns all of him, and emotionally owns the part of my soul that adores Inuyasha so.
Enjoy! :)
Lead Me Down the Garden Path
Prologue
Perspective is a spiteful, caustic bitch.
At least, that's what Inuyasha would come to think during the aftermath of all this.
The once proud, self-sufficient half-demon would come to know weakness, helplessness, and vulnerability—all in the package of Kagome Higurashi.
How was there ever a time he breathed before her? Loved before her? Fucked or made love before her?
When all was said and done, there was nothing but Kagome. There could only ever be Kagome.
She made up for it all. She fixed all the broken, shitty pieces that were his life before her. Her laugh was caulking to his fragmented emotions. Her smile made him feel strength again. The pleasure he found in her body made him feel infinite and whole, things he would never have guessed this life would grant him.
Despite all the goodness that Kagome represented in his life, until his dying day, he would be haunted by one thing: he was the reason she almost died.
Maybe it was her stubbornness that got her involved in the danger of his past life. Maybe it was her love for him that made her refuse to allow him to go through it alone. Either way, he didn't know what he would have done if she had never woken up again.
But, again, that was all perspective.
Our story begins at a time where Inuyasha didn't know Kagome yet. The name Inuyasha Taisho hadn't made itself significant to Kagome yet.
But it would.
And she had no idea, no perspective or insight, to realize just how critically her life was about to change.
She didn't know where to go from here.
Despite four years of employment and countless rave reviews from parents, students, and colleagues alike, it all meant nothing. All roads led to this one: unemployment.
Kagome released a forceful sigh to stay the tears that threatened to fall. Her self-pity turning into anger, she tightened her grip on the Corolla's steering wheel.
She had bid heartfelt goodbyes to her grade two students once the clock chimed the end of the school day. It was the first day of summer; the last day of school. It was the last working day Kagome would come to know at Tokyo Collegiate Secondary Institute. With fewer and fewer young families moving into the school zone, the school was costing the municipality more than it could possibly afford, and, unfortunately, the school had to close. There were no other options.
As she had gathered up the last of her things from the desk she was just beginning to like, a member of the administrative staff interrupted Kagome's thoughts. The woman attempted small talk, but Kagome didn't want the interaction. She wanted to go home and pound back a bottle of wine. There was a sauvignon blanc in the fridge at home that was supposed to be a "congratulations on making it through another school year" bottle; however, Kagome lamented that it had unintentionally become a "sorry you're now out of a job" bottle.
The staff member had left Kagome a brochure on how to collect unemployment insurance since Kagome would be formally laid off from the school board. Kagome grudgingly took the pamphlet, nodded her thanks, and wished the woman a good day. Kagome heard the woman's heels clack-clack-clack until Kagome was alone again. In the silence of the room, she continued packing up her felt-tipped markers and sticker books.
Once all trace of her had been removed from her homeroom, 312, Kagome had literally thrown her belongings into the trunk of her white Corolla and plopped herself heavily into the driver's seat.
This was where Kagome sat for the next twenty-five minutes. She didn't feel capable of driving, worried that tears would propel themselves down her cheeks at any minute, making the task of driving quite difficult.
Kagome had sent a text message to her best friend, Sango, in the morning when the Principal had made the formal announcement. Despite the parents rallying together and all the money that went into the "Save TCSI!" posters, the school was closing. It would be torn down in two months' time. Over the lunch period—her last lunch period, she mourned—Kagome had overheard two colleagues gossiping that several blocks of townhomes might be built once the school was gone.
Sango had been supportive once she received the news. She tried to call Kagome but Kagome just let the phone ring; she didn't feel like putting energy in voicing what her fingers were equally capable of saying. Seeing that her friend was searching for her first job as a paralegal—fresh out of school—Sango said she would keep an eye out for Kagome for possible teaching jobs.
The premise of job searching made a fresh batch of tears appear in her eyes.
Deciding that she had had enough of wallowing, Kagome drew her seatbelt over her shoulder, turned the key in the ignition, and released the parking break. Putting her car into drive and pulling out of the school's parking lot, Kagome intentionally avoided taking a final glimpse of the school through the rear-view mirror. The sauvignon blanc was calling, and Kagome was all-too-willing to acquiesce.
The next few days went by without too much happening: the news had got out that the school was closing; Kagome had to reluctantly answer a call from her mother concerning said news; Kagome restocked her fridge with more wine; and Sango came over.
"You'd think I would have picked an education that would actually get me a job…" Sango bemused as she poured herself another glass of wine. "I mean, in this entire city, there are…maybe four paralegal or paralegal assistant jobs? Allof them—and I'm not being dramatic, Kagome, I really mean all of them—want at least three to five years' experience! I'm never going to find a job."
Kagome smiled empathetically at her friend and willingly accepted another glass of wine. Sango was quite generous with her portioning.
"You've been out of school…what, like, two months now? Work will come, Sango. Things just slow down for the summer."
Sango groaned, "It's been three. And I know things slow down, Kagome, I'm used to you not working over the summers, remember? The only friggin' jobs that are out there are ones that don't require any post-secondary."
Kagome took a hearty sip of wine and sighed contentedly at the rush it left in the back of her throat.
"I'm applying to everything," Kagome commented nonchalantly. "I mean…I just finished unpacking the boxes for this stupid new apartment—which I got when I had a teacher's salary!—and then I lose my job." Kagome groaned, "If I don't get a job soon I'm going to be homeless."
Sango laughed, "I'll make sure there's a spot on my couch for you long before it comes to that, Kagome. Don't worry."
Kagome made a face and took another sip of wine. Silence overcame the girls as they sat at the table in Kagome's pearl white, as-clean-as-a-surgical-room kitchen.
"So what sort of jobs have you applied to?" Sango inquired.
Kagome giggled, "Everything."
Sango turned her eyes to the MacBook on the table and used the fingerpad to scroll through the online job board. "You applied to all this crap?"
Kagome gulped down her wine, "Don't remind me." Then another sip to finish off the glass, "I'm desperate for work."
Sango laughed and pointed incredulously to the laptop, "You have a degree in Art and History and you applied to be a strawberry picker? Kagome, you can't be serious..."
"I need work, Sango!" Kagome cried with outstretched arms. "If I want to keep this apartment and as much of the lifestyle I've grown used to, I need to be open to the opportunities, and right now those opportunities—"
"—Look like a shit-ton of manual labour," Sango interrupted with wide, amused eyes.
Kagome groaned, and watched Sango take another sip before resting her cheeks in her hands.
"Maybe it won't be all bad?" Kagome exclaimed in hopes of trying to see the glass half full. "I mean, this one," she said, pointing to a retail sales job she applied to, "this could get me some decent discounts on shoes and clothing. And this one," she pointed to another posting two below the other, "this could get me cheaper groceries."
"You applied to be a bartender?"
"Cheap drinks!" Kagome cried enthusiastically, emptying the contents of the bottle into hers and Sango's cups. Sango thanked her friend, her cheeks turning that slight tinge of cherry-pink which Kagome knew meant Sango was moving into a more concentrated state of intoxication.
"Kagome…" Sango sighed, placing her hand comfortingly on top of her friends, "What credentials do you have for any of these jobs?"
Kagome shrugged. After a few moments of silence as Sango continued scrolling through the jobs, Kagome pointed to the screen at a landscaping job she had applied to that morning.
"I could totally do this," she said, pointing dramatically to the list of job duties. "It looks like it pays pretty well, and I used to help my grandpa with grounds maintenance at the Shrine," Kagome proffered. "Grounds maintenance seems like pretty decent experience for landscaping."
Sango pulled a face then nodded her head slightly, agreeing with the sentiment.
Kagome put a thoughtful finger to her chin, "Although…I didn't tend to the garden much…or preen any plants or weeds…or help my grandfather or Souta with the mulching or mowing or seeding."
Sango smirked, "So what did you do?"
"I…" Kagome thought, "…swept?"
Sango laughed, "I don't really think that counts."
Kagome's phone started to chime, distracting her from the disappointment Sango's comment brought. She peered over at the device, failing to register a number appearing on the screen that was unrecognized. Her stomach jumped excitedly at the prospect of it being a call for an interview.
"Hello, this is Kagome," she said into the device, grinning stupidly and hopefully at Sango.
"Yes, hi, Kagome? This is Kouga Ōkami calling from RT Landscaping Company. How are you doing today?"
Kagome's stomach flipped, "Hi, Kouga! I'm doing just fine thank you."
"That's great," the tinny version of the masculine voice replied. "I'm calling in response to the resume we received this morning. I'm hoping you'd be available to start next Monday."
"You're offering me a job?"
Kouga laughed on the other side of the line, "Isn't that why you submitted a resume?"
Kagome chuckled hesitantly, "Yes, of course. But, shouldn't the next step be an interview or something?"
There was silence on the other side for a few seconds before a cautious-sounding Kouga spoke again. "We've had quite a few last minute resignations that have left us really shorthanded. We have a large project starting on Monday that's expected to take up the majority of the summer for a couple of our teams, and…well, being blunt with you, Kagome…I'm pretty desperate for some man—er, pardon me—woman power."
Kagome had held the phone a little ways away from her ear so Sango could hear the conversation as well. As Sango polished off the last few sips of wine, she gave Kagome an encouraging thumbs up.
"Oh," she responded. "Well, um, would you mind if I asked why so many people have resigned?"
There was silence on the other end again. Kagome's stomach muscles tightened fearfully. She mentally kicked herself for asking that question. Despite wanting to look out for her best interests, she wasn't in a position to be too picky about jobs. She wasn't raised to be an entitled person; she should accept the job graciously and not take it for granted. Work was work.
"Being honest? Well…" Kouga paused, "I don't mean to be unprofessional, Kagome, but the guy we're doing our current job for is kind of a dick."
Kagome snorted a laugh at the comment, and then quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand to stop the desire to laugh.
"You don't work with the guy," Kouga was quick to offer, "But he's picked on a couple of my people and they just up and quit 'cause they had enough. But, don't worry—I told him that those kinds of behaviours won't be tolerated anymore."
Sango made a face at Kagome that Kagome understood to mean, What the hell? Kagome shrugged in response and bit her bottom lip.
There were red flags everywhere about this job. Despite Kouga's claims about not wanting to be unprofessional, he did just call his client a dick. This client also made Kagome kind of nervous; she didn't want to put herself in an environment where employees were being harassed to the point where they had to quit.
She sighed. Taking a look around the kitchen that she had fallen in love with the second she saw it, Kagome realized she needed to suck it up. Who knew when the next call for a job offer or interview would come? She needed to be optimistic. She was lucky to be getting a job offer merely days after she was laid off.
"You still there, Kagome?"
Kagome mentally rolled her eyes at herself for leaving Kouga hanging in silence on the other end.
"Yeah, sorry, Kouga. And sure, it's no problem. I can start Monday."
"Really? Oh that's great, Kagome. That's just great. You wouldn't happen to have some names of people also interested in a job would you? I could use about three to four more guys."
Kagome covered up the mouthpiece of her phone by pressing the device against her chest. She locked eyes with her friend.
"They need more people," she whispered to Sango. "Do you want an immediate job? Like…literally immediate. It starts Monday."
Sango nodded vigorously, making Kagome laugh, and she put the phone back to her ear.
"Kouga?"
"Still here, Kagome."
"Okay, great. There's a girlfriend of mine, she's here with me now, actually, who is currently looking for work. She'd be interested in the job. I'm more than happy to pass the phone over to her so you can speak with her about—"
"—Nope, I'm okay," he interrupted, taking Kagome by surprise. "You girls just both show up here, oh-seven-hundred on Monday and I'll get all the details from 'er then.
"This is just great," he said again, "Make sure you both have steel-toed boots with you. We provide all the other gear. Bring a lunch—there's not much else around in these parts. We'll provide the t-shirts, but please make sure you wear full-length pants. Jeans are fine. No yoga pants, though, 'kay?"
As Kouga provided the details, Kagome pulled her laptop closer, opened the notes application, and quickly typed down all the details for their first day of work. Kagome verified the information she had been given, including to where she and Sango were supposed to report for their first day, and thanked Kouga again for the opportunity.
Once Kagome was off the phone, the girls squealed with delight and gave each other a hug.
With her first official day of work only three days away, Kagome glamourized what she thought the job would be like. She pictured a slimmer stomach from the exercise, a nice tan from being in the summer's sun, and a decent-sized weekly pay cheque that would allow her to keep the apartment and the majority of her somewhat fanciful lifestyle.
But she really had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Kagome didn't realize the nine and a half hour workdays she had ahead of her. Or, despite being paid fairly well, that it was going to be very hard, tiring work that left her with very little time or energy to spend the money she earned. She didn't picture herself leaving work every day a sweaty, cranky, and hungry mess. She didn't think about the sunburns, or the exhausted muscles, or the ear strain, or the bruises.
The realities of the job with RT Landscaping were completely oblivious to Kagome.
She had no idea that this job would bring into her life the Inuyasha Taisho, the most infamous man in Japan for his involvement in one of the biggest and most controversial pop cultural phenomenon of the 2000s.
If only she knew now how much pleasure, heartbreak, and deadly fortune this job was really going to cause her.
Author's Note
Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn! Thank you! Wanna be a dear and review? :D Any thoughts on what the controversy may be? Would love to hear your insights and speculations! Full speed ahead to sexy Inu-Kag developments!