Chapter One
Work had been too much for them today, and they decided to take an extended lunch break and take a walk through the new neighborhood. It was quaint with its brick buildings, numerous parks, shrines, and a few farmer's markets operating several days out of the week, but it certainly wasn't the Tokyo they were used to.
Sesshomaru sighed wearily to himself as his coworker stopped abruptly at a colorful storefront. Naraku clapped his hands together and decided to have a coffee and treat today as the delicate smells of bread wafted towards him. The soft chime of bells greeted him as he entered, as did a young woman with blue eyes and a perky nose in an embroidered pink apron.
"Irasshaimase! Welcome to Higurashi Bakery!"
The interior was almost as cute as she was, he thought fleetingly. Sparkling white tile floor, sunny yellow walls, and the smell of freshly baked bread. The three large display cases were filled with a variety of ready-decorated cakes, puddings, rolls, and standard bakery fare. He took a quick glance up at the woman again, her hair done in a simple plait and wearing a rather comfortable sweater and jeans, then back down at the rows of glistening treats.
Kagome smiled brightly at the gentleman whose eyes continued to wander down the displays of her modest bakery and at the rather stoic man who stood in the doorway. New faces in town? She didn't recognize either of them from the shop or as anyone who passed by the shop, so they must have just recently moved to the area.
The man staring at her displays was tall and rather good-looking, she thought to herself. Actually, they both were exceptionally handsome, she thought. One with long dark hair, eyes like rubies, and the other with long silver hair, golden eyes, but both with strong features uncommon for Japanese (but common for youkai). They didn't look much older than her, but they gave off quite a dark, stormy, mysterious vibe despite the brunette's giddy prance into the bakery.
He turned crimson eyes to her and smiled back, flashing a fang or two.
"I was just in the area and wanted to see what you had. I'm not much of a dessert person, but sometimes I get a craving for an espresso and pastry. Do you possibly have anything a little less sweet?" Her expression turned determined as she reached into one of the refrigerated glass cases and pulled a pate a choux out with a clean pair of tongs.
The man watched as her heavy braid swung gently over her shoulder and bounced with every motion, finding it just a little charming. "Is this for here or to go?"
"For here." Kagome placed it carefully on a dish and placed it on a serving tray, then turned to fix his shot of caffeine.
"You guys must be new to town; everyone knows everyone here. My name is Kagome and I own this shop, so please have this on the house as a sort of welcome!" Her smile was dazzling, and Naraku found himself taken slightly aback at her friendliness.
"I couldn't accept that," he replied and reached into the back pocket of his dark slacks for his wallet.
She clucked her tongue and waved her hand at the bills he held out.
"Nonsense! Welcome to the neighborhood…"
He stuffed the bills into the tip jar anyway, earning him a light-hearted disapproving look from the woman. Clearing his throat, he bowed at the waist.
"I'm Kamimoto Naraku and this is Miyazono Sesshomaru. We are pleased to make your acquaintance."
She mouthed the names to herself and nodded, blue eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lighting. Naraku heard the tap of her sneakers as she came around to the sitting area and placed his items in front of him.
"It's nice to meet you both. Please! Try the pate a choux and let me know if you like it! It's a seasonal flavor and something new I'm trying this month," she explained.
"Thank you very much Higurashi-san." Naraku waited to see if she would stand around to gauge his reaction, but instead she left with the tray and entered what he assumed was the kitchen.
Slightly relieved he wouldn't be watched like a hawk, he first took a sip of his espresso and then stared at the cream puff before taking a bite. The taste of yuzu and something slightly smoky and spicy hit his taste buds, and he had to pause to look back at the pastry to see if he had really eaten something golden brown and filled with whipped cream. The puff stared back at him, challenging him to take another bite.
And so he did.
One after another, after another, until he had finished the puff and his espresso remained still steaming next to his plate. Sesshomaru just sat across from him with his arms folded across his chest, gray suit ever so slightly creased from the motion. Naraku sat back in the wooden seat, sipping on his drink until it was empty. As if on cue, the baker exited the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a dishcloth, flashing him a smile with her nose scrunched.
"How was it? Still too sweet?"
He shook his head, sending dark, wavy hair flying around him. "No, it was perfect and hardly sweet at all. I tasted the yuzu quite prominently, but what was the other ingredient?"
She seemed to explode with happiness, tittering about how she had taken inspiration from her favorite condiment, yuzu kosho, but used toasted and ground Szechuan peppercorns instead.
After what felt like an eternity, Kagome stopped to take a breath and apologized profusely to her new customers.
"I'm so sorry! Sometimes I get overly excited about a success after so many failures," she sighed.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the choux and hope you will come back again some time!" His lips twitched upward as he placed his used dishes on the counter and bowed again.
"Thank you again Higurashi-san, everything was delicious and I most definitely will be back." He allowed one more smile as she waved animatedly at him and followed Sesshomaru in the suddenly more-enjoyable walk back to his office.
"Back to work, old dog!"