Chapter 2 (Disclaimer- refer to chapter 1)
It's always weird to have everyone in the room stare at you. It feels like all your faults and every flaw just suddenly pops to the front of your brain and while you try to discreetly cover them up, you still feel completely exposed for everyone to see. The silence pounds in your ears as you wait for someone to make a move, any kind of move, to make that moment pass and become forgotten.
That was exactly how Kagome felt within that moment.
Everyone had stopped what they were doing after the woman with the raised hand had slapped her predator. After seeing her raven black hair follow her as she stopped in the hallway, it was hard NOT to look. And all but one were slightly stunned and confused to see the new-comer, especially seeing as they were under the impression that this was a semi-important, low-key meeting. Why in the world would a stranger be there, then? Miroku took this as his cue to speak up.
"Sango, you wound me so," teasingly glaring at the woman. Turning back to Kagome, he smiled. "Ah, cousin, how lovely it is to see you again!" He walked over to where she stood.
Kagome, with a smirk now dawning across her face, threw her hands up in the air. "Come here, favorite cousin EVARR!"
Miroku barreled into her, almost making them fall over, but both of them had braced for the impact and merely swayed. "Pf, as if. Too bad I'm your only cousin, and therefore, even if I were covered in boils and had some odd disease, I'd have to be your favorite. Sucker." Kagome just giggled to this, but they drew apart as they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
Sango was still standing up on her side of the couch with Kikyo sitting next to her, both with a look of complete confusion dressing their face. Inuyasha just had one eye brow raised and scoffed. "Please do excuse us working important people here, but I thought we had a meeting going on? Not very formal, but Christ, even I know this is ridiculous."
Miroku turned to Kagome, a look of disappointment drawing his eye-brows together. "They are kinda right, official meeting type thing. I'll help you set up in a bit? Remember which room is yours, right?" Kagome just nodded. "First on the right up the stairs, got it!"
As she finished, she twirled on the ball of her heel and marched back to her bags. Sighing, she picked the lighter one up and proceeded to find her room. Rushing back to get the other one, she took her sweet time. They were in hearing range, after all. And who wasn't curious from time to time, especially when it's 'official type of meetings'.
Kagome strained her ears towards the living room with the two opposing couches that had contained four important names in the movie industry. Not that she really cared, or anything. Just something to amuse her mind for the moment.
"Well, we'd have to wait until after we finish to leak this…. Would that work? … That would be great!" Kagome sighed, only hearing the voice of the woman who she guessed was Sango speak. So much for hearing something juicy. Ah well, there's always time for that later.
Kagome trudged back to the room that she was staying in for the remainder of her extended stay. It wasn't that she didn't like it here, with the twinkie colored walls, full-size bed with matching mahogany dresser, drawer, and vanity mirror set. She even eyed the new addition, a desk. Of course, she remembered, this stay is for business.
Either way, this room just didn't compare to the cozy feeling at her place with Hojo. They had more of the, white walls with the red couch, crazy pillow type of space. This room was all about how the sun hit everything. And well, let's face it. Home was home because they had it together. Here, he was missing.
'Enough of this, I can't start my own pity party without any support! Plus, this could be romantic, not seeing each other until so close to the wedding.'
Kagome smiled as she set her first bag on top of the bed, unzipping the contents so as to put them up in their places. Just as she was about to pull out her first item, Miroku knocked on her door, making her jump.
"Anxious for something, dear cousin?"
Kagome rolled her eyes, "Just thinking, don't get your panties in a twist."
"You can start on all that later, right now I need you to become acquainted with everyone before I put you to work," and he walked out leaving her to follow.
Kagome hadn't really known what to expect when she took up Miroku's offer. She figured the big shot names would be on a set or something doing their roles, and she would be out doing some low-level paper work.
She had completely misjudged the entire situation. As Miroku's assistant, she would have to do some odd-ball jobs, yes. But that also included direct contact with his clients, meaning those big-shot names.
As these thoughts started to finally connect, she was already walking back down the stairs to the living room where the two stars and an agent were still sitting and waiting for her, Kagome had internally started to panic.
She was normally a level-headed girl. Working with kids, that meant that if you become outwardly anxious, the entire room would reek of this anxiety and the kids would become just as anxious and well.. disaster ensues. So she had become adapt to never really showing it.
So as she became into view, she looked like she was ready to take on anything. She smiled and did a close-bodied wave.
Miroku, completely oblivious to any potential wariness, and who had become immune to becoming star-struck, merely strutted into the room. "Okay, Kagome, you'll be working with Inuyasha the most. If he gets rude, don't mind him, it's normal. In fact, the only reason I ever see him remotely nice or a hint of a smile is when he's getting paid."
"Watch it lecher, I am the one paying you." Kagome giggled at this, 'Case and point.'
At the sound of her melodious laughter, Inuyasha blushed a light shade of pink. Not that anyone dared to point it out.
"Whatever, as if you could find anyone else that would put up with you?" bit back Miroku. "Continuing on, next you'll be conversing with Sango here. Kikyo is the other lead role, but everything will have to go through Sango, so just go to her first. But you know, if you want, I'll do all that mingling for you.." Miroku winked in the direction of the other agent who had started clinching her fists.
To avoid another red cheek, Kagome decided this was an opportune moment to make a better impression.
"Uh, pleasure to meet you all." Miroku beamed at his lovely cousin. Kikyo glanced over at her, almost judging her character, and after seemingly deeming her worthy, spared a smile. Very small, almost barely lifting her cheek. But one, none the less. Kagome guessed her to be the quiet, elegant type.
Sango, almost a polar opposite, looked delighted at having the chance of working with the girl. 'How in the world do these two decide on anything?' Despite her skepticism, Kagome welcomed the handshake that Sango had started.
"I really think that we'll make good friends, don't you think? I mean, come on, your shoes are adorable. And shoes say a lot about a person." Kagome just laughed at Sango's assessment and looked down at her flats. They were cute, indeed.
"I think we'll be a blast, indeed"
The only person that seemed completely disinterested in the going-ons of the living room, was the one person who would matter the most. Kagome got a lot discouraged again. 'Though, I guess not getting any attention is better than getting bad attention.'
Miroku moved so that Kagome could sit on their couch with them. "So, today we aren't doing anything special from here on out, so enjoy your free time while you can."
Perhaps it was due to the sudden apprehension of the responsibility that she was about to over-take, taking on big-shot movie stars was kind of a serious deal. If she were to attract some unwanted attention, it could go to the media, and then she'd be ruined forever! But that was getting ahead of herself.
It could also be due to the fact that it was mid-afternoon by now, but Kagome's stomach had begun to growl.
Throwing on a faint blush, and excusing herself, she shuffled into the kitchen to fetch herself something to eat.
The first cupboard had nothing but bags of chips. While they did sound good, it just didn't seem the type of food to satiate her hunger. Next stop, the fridge. Shoving open the door, Kagome was welcomed with the site of an old jar of relish, a tube of mustard, a 6-pack of beer, and a pizza box that she couldn't even guess when it had originated from. Closing the door in disgust, she opted to have one of the few remaining packages of ramen. Simple, yet satisfying.
Sango came sauntering in during this time. "I'm honestly surprised you found anything here. Don't get me wrong, those two can eat. But no one ever said they can cook."
"I suppose that's to be guessed though. Since when do males do anything for themselves, ever?"
Sango smiled, knowingly. "I knew I'd like you."
Kagome turned around and went back to work, adding her own small talk here and there while adding in a few vegetable and a dash of salt to bring out that extra flavor.
Once finished, the two ladies mingled back out to the living room where Miroku and Inuyasha had started to plug in some video game and Kikyo merely observing.
Sango and Kagome sat back in their respective spots on opposite couches and watched wires being thrown all over the living room. Apparently, hooking up a game system is not as easy as it seems.
Kagome sat cross-legged eating her ramen out of the bowl when they had finally figured it all out and sat on either side of her, controllers in hand. You would think being in this position would give ample amount of space so that if a person were sitting next to her and cried out a foul against his opponent and smashed his hand down, the bowl would not come tumbling upon both the crier and the eater, but it in fact had.
Singeing hot water burned the side of Kagome's arm while the rest spilled onto Inuyasha's lap, the latter cursing up a storm.
"Fucking cock sucking mother fucking bitch! What the hell! What are you playing at, bitch? Do you even know who i am? What-"
Kagome tuned out the rest of the explicative's while Miroku tried to clean everything up, Sango was doing her best to usher Kikyo out as fast as she could. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. She could feel the hot water being dabbed away from her arm from a paper towel. Her setting down the innocent bowl, with its contents half missing, onto the table where it remained harmless. She could see Inuyasha standing up and fanning out his pants, specifically the crotch region. His mouth opening and closing from his non-stop tyrade. His adams apple bobbing up and down as he kept going and going, swatting at Miroku when his attempts simply were not helping the situation at all after going for the spot where he wanted no other man to touch.
The moment Kagome came to, Sango and Kikyo were already halfway to the door, the mantra of "Go, Kikyo, let's go now before he starts swinging. Go, go, go!" and a hurried "Sorry, Miroku, see you in a few days!" thrown out just before the door slammed shut. An intense wave of embarrassment washed over her once again that day.
'What else could possibly go wrong?'
Of course, she didn't know that when you ask that, it more than likely becomes answered.
OOOOO
AN: I didn't know that much time had passed since my first post, sorry:]
But thank you, very much. I think it should start picking up soon. Let me know what you think!