A/N: Okay, this story is temporary. I think. I'm not too sure if it will be interesting enough for you picky people, so just review and tell me what you think. It'll make me smile
Disclaimer: Kay, I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters on the show. But I do own this plot. Booyah.
I believe in a thing called love.
Kagome peered over her Styrofoam cup curiously. She was looking at a strange picture hanging on the wall directly across from her.
The picture was of a field with a cactus in it, but behind the cactus was a strange silhouette of what appeared to be a person. Around the cactus and 'person' was an empty field of flowers. There was a stream nearby, too. It was an odd painting. Who ever heard of a cactus in a field of flowers? Let alone near a stream?
Kagome smiled wistfully. She had always loved nature, but it was hard to find spots like that in the city of Tokyo. Sighing, she quickly downed the rest of her drink before standing up and throwing the cup into the garbage. Walking out of the Starbucks she headed for the nearby bank. She needed to cash a check.
Once inside of the bank she walked to the forming line in front of the tall counter tops. This was going to be a while.
Standing in the same spot for nearly ten minutes, someone finally decided that it was time to leave, so she took their place. Smiling in hopes of a faster time spent there, she barely repressed the urge to scream out in surprise when she suddenly heard her cell phone ring. Giggling slightly out of embarrassment, she flipped it open.
"Hello?" Kagome asked.
"Hi, is this Kagome?" asked a sultry male voice from the other end. Kagome's body slumped.
"Hey Miroku, and yes, this is me. Who else would have my cell phone?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice. After all, this was the third time he had called her today.
"Oh, well, no need to be so rude about it Kagome-san…" Miroku said, feigning hurt. Kagome sighed into the phone loudly.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Roku?" She asked in hopes of him hanging up soon. Apparently, he had other ideas.
"Why yes! I'm so glad you asked. See, there is someone coming into town, someone very important, and I was wondering if you would mind if he stayed with us?" he asked quickly. Kagome nearly choked on her own saliva.
"Stay with us? What do you mean? For how long?" she asked just as fast. Her and her best friend, Miroku Monk, had been living together for the past two and a half years. After she had moved out to go to college, she and he had found an apartment to share. It was easier than trying to find a dorm every other year. Besides, it wasn't bad at all. The rent was cheap, and it was a decent place to live in. The lived in a loft. It was cozy enough.
"Well, you see, he isn't exactly sure. No, what I mean is…I'm not exactly sure…" he said, trailing off uncertainly. Kagome drooped her shoulders down further. 'Great. Now I'm going to have to live with some complete stranger for who knows how long.' Kagome shook her head to rid her of these thoughts. Maybe the person was in dire need of a place to crash to help him get back on his feet, but God only knows that Miroku had crazy friends who were obsessed with sex and weird things. She, according to her and her other friends, was the only normal one out of the bunch.
"Alright, Roku. When is this person coming?" Kagome asked, getting right down to business. She needed to know so she could prepare the house and dinner; if need be.
"Um…tonight." He said guiltily. Kagome exploded.
"Tonight?! What do you mean tonight? Miroku, you better be joking. The loft is a mess! And, we barely have any groceries! All we have been surviving on is take-out!" Kagome whispered angrily. She couldn't go causing a scene in the bank now.
"It's alright, Gome. I have everything ready. While you were out today I straightened up the place and went to the market for a few things. We have enough to tide us over for a couple of weeks." Miroku said reassuringly. Kagome sighed loudly and said "Okay. I'll be home in about thirty minutes. I got to go though, I'm at the bank. I'm cashing a check. See you in a little while, be good." She finished, sounding like she was scolding a child.
Groaning she flipped her phone shut with a resounding 'click'. Straightening her posture, she focused back on the task at hand: cashing her paycheck. She worked for a small company as an assistant; it paid well. Looking at the remaining people in line she silently cheered in glee at the sight of only two more people left. One by one they slowly left and she was ushered over to the next available banker.
"Hi, how may I help you?" asked a young, polite voice. Kagome looked up from digging in her purse to notice one of her brother's friends, Jin. He was tall and skinny, with stringy blonde hair and deep brown eyes. He was quite a catch for an seventeen year old. Souta and he have been friends for a few years.
"Hey Jin! I didn't know you worked here!" Kagome said with a grin on her peach shaped face. Her bright hazel eyes lit up happily while she pulled him into a hug over the counter. When she pulled away she noticed him blushing. Boys.
"Hey Kagome, long time no see. How have you been? I heard you have your own place now…" he said, making conversation. Kagome smiled.
"Oh I am doing great. I'm almost finished with college, believe it or not. Graduation is in a couple of months for me. I am living with Miroku, actually. He helps out with the rent. How have you been doing?" she asked nicely. Jin smiled boyishly while rubbing the back of his neck, a sure sign on nervousness.
"Oh I've been doing well. I, um, just got engaged actually." Jin said nervously. Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth flew open.
"You're so young though! Oh my gosh, who is the lucky girl?" Kagome asked semi shocked and semi excited. Jin dropped his hand from his neck once he realized she wasn't going to kill him for 'making the biggest mistake of his life', or so other people had put it. Especially his parents. This was what he, and many other people loved about Kagome, her easy going and kind nature. She wasn't judgmental and pessimistic like others were. "You remember Rin? The rich guys' daughter? Yeah, her…" he said with a blush. Kagome smiled sweetly. She reached across the counter and took hold of his cheeks before pinching them lightly and cooing "Aww, Jin! You're all grown up!" she teased playfully. He groaned and tried to pry her tiny fingers from his now reddening face.
"Okay, okay…" he said, putting on a serious voice. He couldn't help but crack a smile when she immediately stopped. Laughing out right he smiled. "We've missed you, Kags." He said genuinely. She smiled brightly, her perfectly straight and white teeth glimmering in the artificial lighting of the bank. "I've missed all of you dearly. I'm coming home to visit for the weekend next week. So, I trust you and your lovely fiancé will be at my house, ready to greet me?" She asked with a twinkle in her sparkling eyes. He laughed and nodded, "No doubt. We will be there."
After cashing her check and leaving the bank, she climbed into her silver Pontiac and drove towards her home.
"Roku, I'm home." Kagome called as soon as she walked through the front door and into the home. Miroku looked up from his comfortable position on the couch and stared at her. Then his serene face broke out into a perverse smile.
"Hey Gome, you look nice today." He said while wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Kagome scoffed and put her purse on the coat rack, along with her coat and hat. Stepping out of her black pumps she placed them neatly in the cubby hole near the door. Yawning, she stretched and walked over to Miroku and plopped down next to him on the couch.
"Thanks. Hey, when is this guy coming? I need to know so I can have dinner prepared." She said casually. Miroku shrugged. "Probably around eight. I'm not sure, he wasn't specific." Kagome sighed and nodded. Tonight would definitely be interesting.
"You've got a magic inside your finger tips…It's leaking out all over my skin. Every time that I get close to you, making me weak with the way you look through those eyes…all I see is your face; all I need is your touch, wake me up with your lips, come at me from up above…" Kagome sang along with the radio while preparing dinner. She was cooking a simple dinner: Teriyaki chicken, macaroni salad, and of course; rice.
"Something smells good." Said Miroku; walking into the simple kitchen. It was painted beige and had a dark brown wooden floor. The table was big enough to seat four; it was small, brown, and round. The appliances were all either silver or black, stainless steel. The counter tops were a simple white, and the cabinets were dark brown; blending in with the darkness of the floor. All in all, it was a homey kitchen.
"Thanks. I'm just cooking a simple dish; hope whoever this guy is isn't expecting anything fancy…" Kagome said, trailing off. 'What if he is? I mean, will he be rude? Gah, I don't know. I need to stop worrying about stupid things…' Shaking her head, Kagome went back to the food. She needed to have it all done by the time the guy got here. Come to think of it, she didn't even know his name.
Around seven thirty the doorbell rang. Miroku walked out of his room. "I'll get it!" he yelled. Kagome poked her head out of the kitchen opening. There was no door separating the living room and kitchen. "He's here already?" she asked curiously. Noticing him nod she ran back into the kitchen to put the plates out on the table. The food was already set up, along with refreshments.
Busying herself, she waited until Miroku led their guest into the kitchen. For some reason she was nervous.
"And this is the kitchen…I know it's not what you're used to, your highness, but it'll do, yeah?" Miroku said in a joking tone. What I heard next surprised me, along with what I saw. I heard a deep, velvety smooth voice answer him with a simple "Hn.", and in walked Miroku and some sort of God.
The man, or demon by the markings on his face, walked into the room. He was very tall, probably around 6'6". He had long, flowing silver hair. His eyes were the most beautiful honeyed color she had ever seen, and his face was just as beautiful as the rest of his body. He had four stripes on his cheeks; two crimson slashes on each side. On his brow lay a sapphire crescent moon. A sign of royalty. His eyes were narrowed, and he had a strong jaw. His nose was an elegant shape, and hell, Even his eyebrows were well kept!
Traveling down the length of his body Kagome noticed his well defined muscles, and his broad shoulders. He was definitely the best eye candy that she ever had the pleasure of gazing at. Gulping she looked away with a blush adorning her naturally rosy cheeks. Glancing at Miroku she silently asked him to introduce the two.
"Kagome, this is Sesshoumaru Taisho. Me and him go way back. Sesshoumaru, this is Kagome Higurashi. She is my roommate, and best friend. Aside from you, of course…" he said while snickering at the last part. He looked at Sesshoumaru and took in his normal un-emotional face. Something was different in his eyes though…
"Ah, let's eat! I'm starving." Miroku finally said after a moment of awkward silence. Kagome nodded and led the way to their table.
"Dig in." she said with a smile, eyeing Miroku's almost starved look. Watching as he piled half of everything onto his plate she chuckled before glancing over at Sesshoumaru. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked curiously. Surely he would be hungry after the plane ride. Apparently he came from the United States.
"I do not eat human food." He stated simply. Kagome's eyes widened. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of him being a demon! Glancing around nervously, she looked towards Miroku for help. He stopped eating once he noticed the silence and looked up at her from his plate.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Sesshoumaru was a demon. A picky one at that." he started with a grin, "Don't worry though, I got some special food for him. I forgot to mention that…" he stated. Kagome gave him a dry look. "Gee Miroku, thanks." He laughed. "No problem, Gome." She stood and glared at him. Turning and walking towards the pantry she opened it looking for any sign of non-human food. Noticing none she went to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer she noticed that mass amount of steaks and what not littering the freezer walls.
"Wow. I didn't even notice all of this earlier…" she mumbled to herself. Reaching into the freezer she thought she heard a small snort, but thought nothing of it. Miroku was probably having trouble chewing his food.
"Okay…um…I don't know how to, um, prepare this for you. Do you just eat it…you know, raw?" asked a puzzled Kagome. She smiled nervously, not sure if she offended him by her lack of knowledge when it came to demons.
He simply stood and walked towards her leisurely. Once in front of her he calmly grabbed the steak in her hand. Stopping, as if waiting for something, he looked at her. A light bulb went off in her head and she mumbled "Oh right, a plate…" She walked towards the cabinet to the right of the stove and opened it. Reaching inside she grabbed a simple tan plate and handed it to him while grabbing a fork and knife from the silverware drawer.
"Is this all you need?" Kagome asked noticing him begin to walk back to the table with all of his items. He didn't even look at her while replying with another "Hn." 'Geez, is that all he can say?' Kagome thought, slightly annoyed. Huffing indignantly she made her way back to her place at the table, which was directly across from Sesshoumaru and right next to Miroku.
After an un-eventful dinner they retired into the living room. By now it was nearing nine, and Kagome had to get up early in the morning to go to work.
"I'm going to go to bed. It was nice meeting you Sesshoumaru," she paused before quickly adding "Night." And to her surprise, he replied.
"Goodnight." She nodded before leaving the room with a rapidly beating heart. For some reason his voice had that odd affect on her.
The next morning found Kagome and Sesshoumaru awake and drinking coffee. Apparently, Sesshoumaru was an early bird. And by early bird she meant five in the morning early.
"So, do you wake up this early every morning?" Kagome said; attempting conversation. He looked up from his spot at the table. He was reading the newspaper.
"Indeed. Do you not?" he said, surprising her for the second time since meeting him.
"Well only on days when I have to go to work. I'm usually a late sleeper." She said sheepishly. Sesshoumaru nodded before looking back down at the paper.
Noticing he wasn't going to talk much more, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She was eating her usual breakfast which consisted of yogurt, toast, and a banana. It tided her over until lunch came around. She was still in her long pink flannel pajamas. If you didn't know better you would have thought her to be a regular teenage girl, but, she wasn't a teen. She was a grown woman by the age of nineteen. She had graduated high school early, at the age of seventeen. She has been in college ever since, and she was graduating soon. If it wasn't for her smarts she probably wouldn't be going anywhere in life. Her family wasn't exactly 'loaded.'
Smiling, she plopped down on the couch and turned on the T.V. Surfing the channels she noted that the news was on. Maybe she'd flip back to that later. Settling on cartoon network, she became engrossed in a show called "The Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy."
And this was exactly how Sesshoumaru found her fifteen minutes later while walking out of the kitchen. He raised a brow. 'This human is possibly the oddest one I have met since Rin. She is obviously intelligent, yet she amuses herself by watching a simple children's show? How odd, indeed.' Sesshoumaru thought amused. Quickly noticing his trail of thought he smashed it completely. It did no good to be thinking about a simple human. She was beneath him, and yet here he was, living with two humans. He had to though, if he ever wanted to attain his fathers company here in Tokyo. It would do him no good to look for a place if he was to not even get a hold of the company while over here. It would be a waste of money; and Sesshoumaru was not about wasting anything.
Glancing around him, he took note of the simple white plush couches, dark wooden floors with a simple crimson antique area rug and brown coffee table. The T.V. was a flat screen and hung on the wall, along with various pictures of what he assumed were the human's families and friends.
Sighing very uncharacteristically, he walked towards the couch opposite of the girl called Kagome. Sitting down on the couch, he immediately sank into it. He would have to find the store that they had attained this couch at. It was comfortable.
"Girl, where did you buy these couches from?" he asked with an air of authority. Kagome glanced to him from the T.V. screen. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I have a name, you know." She said, irritation clearly lacing her words. Sesshoumaru's own eyes narrowed a little. "I am aware that you have a name. Now answer my question." He said coldly. Kagome's mouth fell open. She quickly shut it with a resounding click and stood, glaring full force at Sesshoumaru's form. Placing her yogurt onto the coffee table she placed her tiny hands on her hips.
"Excuse me? I said I have a name, and I will not answer to girl. Do you answer to boy? I think not. I do not appreciate being treated rudely in my own home." She said angrily. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to smirk. This girl was proving to be a good source of amusement.
"Do not think to raise your voice at this Sesshoumaru. Your abode or not; you are speaking to royalty and shall address me as such." He stated coolly. Kagome nearly fell over in shock. Was this guy serious? "Listen here, bucko, I don't have to address you at all! So don't go telling me how exactly to do so when you clearly don't even know how to address me by my own name. What makes you think I would show you any kind of respect when you can show me none in turn?" Kagome seethed. Sesshoumaru merely stared at her.
"Gah! You're infuriating!" Kagome nearly yelled while storming from the room. Sesshoumaru smirked from his position on the couch. Maybe he would as her of its origins later.
After a brief shower Kagome waltzed into her room, intent on finding a suitable outfit for the day; she had a busy one ahead of her, after all.
"Okay, closet. What shall I wear today?" she said with a grin on her face. 'Great, now I'm talking to a closet. I really should get a night job; I think waking early makes me somewhat dumber by the hour.' Kagome thought with a giggle.
"Ah, here we are…" she said happily a few minutes later. She had scoped through all of her clothes and found something that seemed to suit her mood today: Giggly and Childish.
Her clothing consisted of a knee length black skirt that flared slightly at the bottom, in waves that seemed to caress her calves. Her torso adorned a simple white button up blouse, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows in a casual manner. Her dainty feet wore black pumps; not too tall and not too short.
Nodding in satisfaction she walked back to her bathroom. She needed to fix her hair and make-up. Walking in the brightly lit room, she wondered over towards the sink. After grabbing the pale blue blow dryer and hairbrush she began to brush and dry her hair until it fell into soft curly waves at her backside. Her hair was long, reaching till right above her bottom.
After putting the blow dryer and brush away, she quickly brushed her teeth and then applied a small amount of clear lip gloss. Finally finished with her morning ritual, she left her room and went back into the living room. Once in the room, she noticed that Sesshoumaru was still sitting on the couch; except this time he seemed to be intently watching the cartoon that she had previously been watching.
Raising a finely sculpted brow, she resisted the urge to snort at his ways. Glancing around the room she found her brief case and went to fetch it.
"Where is it that you work, girl?" Sesshoumaru's deep voice questioned, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Kagome jumped in surprise before turning to face him fully.
"What did I tell you about calling me 'girl'? My name is Ka-Go-Me. Three simple syllables, can you not pronounce that?" Kagome demanded, resisting the urge to stomp her foot in a childish show of anger. Sesshoumaru continued to look at her.
"Fine! Don't answer me! See if I care, I won't answer you either!" She yelled and stormed towards her briefcase, grabbing it and pulling her long black coat from the coat hanger at the same time. Turning one last time towards Sesshoumaru, she departed with an outwards stick of her tongue. Oh yes, she went there.
Coming to work late, due to a late bus arrival, she was set on edge even before she walked into the tall building. Her car was out of gas and she didn't have to time to fill it up the other day, she was stuck with riding the stinky bus. She worked at Sajuki Records; a recording label for new aspiring singers and what not. The job sucked, basically. She was a receptionist. What she really wanted to be was a personal assistant, but no. She had to be a stupid receptionist and answer lame calls all day. How boring.
"Hey Shin," Kagome started lazily "How was your weekend?"
Shin was the short, bald security guard. He had been working there for nearly three years.
"Oh, the same old same old. Kin had a big soccer game," he said with a grin. He knew how fond Kagome was of Kin. She was a sucker for kids.
"Really? How'd it go?" Kagome asked; her eyes lighting up with glee.
Shin smiled at her antics. "His team won, and he got a trophy. He's real proud of it," he said with a smile. Kagome nodded "I would be too! Maybe I'll stop by today to congratulate him?" Kagome asked in hopes of seeing one of her favorite people. Kin was like the little brother that she had, but remained young. Souta was getting to be an old geezer by now, at the tender age of sixteen, and she was no longer able to coddle him. He would think it to be too weird. So, Kin came along and voila! Her problems were solved. 'I'm not weird.' She thought to herself.
"Ah, he would enjoy that very much. Around two, maybe?" he said with a small smile. Kagome nodded her head vigorously. "Two it is." She said while stepping through the sliding doors and waving bye to Shin.
Walking into the middle of the main room, she made her way over to her mahogany desk that read "Sajuki Records" in big gold letters. Sighing, she prepared herself for a long day.
Around twelve she got off for lunch. She walked to the snack room and quickly pulled out her peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her briefcase. 'Mmm, nothing like a good PB&J…" she said while biting into her food.
After her lunch break was over she returned to her desk and continued answering phone calls until the clock struck 1:45, signaling the end of her working day. There were three receptionists. She worked the mornings from 7:45-1:45. The others worked the night shifts.
Walking out of the building she walked to the bus stop. She needed to hurry and get to Shin's house to say a quick congratulations to Kin before heading to the book store. She needed to get a good novel to read at work; she was getting really bored just sitting there.
Soon reaching Shin's neighborhood she walked up to his house. It was a simple peach colored one story house, with a neatly trimmed lawn. It was quite nice. She made her way to his front door, knocking twice.
The door swung open with amazing speed before a jubilant black hair-brown eyed boy stepped out and hugged her fiercely.
"Kagome! Where have you been?" he asked excitedly. Kagome giggled and patted his head, attempting to pry herself from his death grip that he currently had on her.
"I've been so busy with school," she said with a sad look in her eyes "and I'm sorry I didn't come to your soccer game. I know it meant a lot to you."
Kin waved it off while continuing to smile up at her. "No worries, there will be more games you can come to." He said with a grin.
Kagome laughed happily while bobbing her head up and down. "Yes, there will be many more that I will have the pleasure of attending." She said with a gentle smile.
Two hours and a hand full of candy later Kagome was leaving Shin's house with a big grin on her face. They were like a second family to her, and that meant a lot. She looked back towards the house and waved goodbye to Kin as he stood at the door. He was smiling while waving enthusiastically. She chuckled and walked towards the bus stop.
Once at the bus stop she looked down at her hand in wonderment. 'I wonder why he gave me so much candy. Surely he is not trying to butter me up for something…' Kagome thought with a quirk to her plump lips. Shaking her head at his nonsense she settled on staring at the passing cars while waiting for the bus.
"Sesshoumaru, come on. We've known each other since birth, practically! You are welcome here, I don't want you to go and buy some house or stinky apartment if you aren't even sure if you will be staying there! It would be a waste of money and time. Especially with all the packing and moving you'd have to do…I bet its not easy to ship all of your belongings from the united states." Miroku said in a persuasive tone. He didn't want his friend to make a stupid mistake. Neither were sure if his father would give him the title of owner of all of their family companies in Tokyo. Currently, they were waiting on a reply.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. Monk was right; it would be a foolish act on his part, he just needed to wait it out. "Indeed. I suppose I will remain here until I receive word from my father." He said with a slight narrowing of his eyes. He hated that he had to rely on someone for anything. It just wasn't in hid nature to rely on anyone.
"I'm home." Kagome said happily while walking into the apartment. She stopped short when noticing Sesshoumaru and Miroku's serious expressions.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, concern clouding her hazel eyes.
Miroku nodded with a smile. "Hey Gome, how was your day?" he asked. She noticed his evasive topic, but went with it anyway. "It was good. I went to see Kin," she said with a smile. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder who this Kin guy was.
"Oh, really? How did he react to your not being there for a few weeks? I bet he was mad." Miroku said with a grin, noticing Sesshoumaru's slightly narrowed eyes.
Kagome grinned. "Oh he was happy as could be! He was just excited to tell me that he and his team won the game this weekend." Kagome said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Hmm. We forgot to go." Miroku said guiltily. Kagome nodded, her happiness dissipating momentarily. "But look at the bright side! There will be many more games to attend!" she said happily. Miroku nodded, turning to Sesshoumaru.
"Kin is Kagome's co-workers son. We are all like family," Miroku stated, filling him in. Kagome nodded in agreement. "So, how about we eat out tonight?" Kagome suggested with a sly smirk. Today had been a good day, and she didn't want to spend her evening cooped up in the house.
"Sure, why not." Miroku said while looking at Sesshoumaru. He simply nodded while walking to retrieve his coat. Miroku grinned as an idea struck him.
'Kagome and Sesshoumaru would prove to be an…interesting couple.' He thought while looking them both over. Maybe it could work? After all, both of his friends needed to loosen up and get laid.
So with that plan in mind, Miroku ushered the two out of the apartment and out onto the streets. "How about we go to a club?" he suggested. Kagome frowned.
"A club? I'm only nineteen. I can't get into one," she said, wondering what he was up to. Miroku waggled his finger in front of her face. "Now, now Kagome, you can easily get in. Its just a matter of Sesshoumaru's participation…" he trailed off looking at said demon. Sesshoumaru raised a silver brow.
"What could Sesshoumaru possibly do to get me in?" Kagome questioned in disbelief. Sesshoumaru looked towards her as if to say "Duh!"
"Why, he's one of the most powerful men in Tokyo." Miroku filled in. Kagome's mouth fell open in understanding. "Oh yeah…I forgot."
Sesshoumaru snorted. "Typical human." Kagome growled. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" she yelled. Sesshoumaru merely smirked before walking towards his Porsche. "Come on, Gome." Miroku said with a snigger. Kagome glared after his back while slowly walking behind him and mumbling incoherently.
"What was that, Kags?" he asked with a playful smirk. She looked at him with a glare. "Why nothing, Roku dear." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice. He shuddered, while Sesshoumaru, whom was already in the car and watching the two bicker, resisted the urge to do so.
"Alright, let's go." Miroku said once he and Kagome had finally gotten into the car. "Hn." Sesshoumaru said as he peeled out of the tiny parking area in front of their apartment.Kagome sighed. This was going to be a long night.
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