Here is Chapter 2 :)
I would like to thank Inu Kag Luver 1, RiceBallMaker94, and Sarabear208 for your reviews :D
They are greatly appreciated!
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think and what not :)
-Alessiel
So, I just re-edited this lol. I wrote it late last night and posted it early this morning and found quite a few mistakes when I woke up today. I'm sure there are still a few, but I feel it is better than it was. Please feel free to point out my mistakes, because I don't have an editor so that means I must rely on you guys for help(If you are willing to that is :D)! :) Thank you so much!
Kagome sat outside of the store manager's office waiting for her turn for an interview. The 16 year old girl had never been through this before and she was extremely nervous. She started fiddling with her hair in hopes that it would help calm her nerves. She really needed this job. It would mean the end of her already pitiful social life, but she had to do what was best for her family.
"Ms. Higurashi?" Kagome looked up and met the eyes of the store manager. She nodded and stood up to follow him into the office. He smiled at her and held out his hand.
"It's very nice to meet you." He said as the exchanged a gentle handshake. She gave him a meek smile in return.
"It's nice to meet you too."
They stepped into his office and he sat behind the large oak desk covered in papers. For a manager he sure didn't seem very organized.
"Listen, before we get started, you should know that I already have my eyes set on someone for this job. Now, this certainly does not mean you will not be given a fair chance of course." Kagome stared at her feet for a moment. She wasn't going to get the job, great.
"Alright well, I guess I'll just have to try my best to 'wow' you then!" She put on her best smile. What she really wanted to do was get up and leave. This was nothing more than a waste of her time.
Damn it, Inuyasha growled low in his throat. He wanted to see Kagome again and had been waiting around her house for what seemed like forever.
"What could that wench be doing anyway? Last night she couldn't wait get home." Inuyasha knew she hadn't been home since this morning, her scent that still lingered was beginning to smell stale. He looked at the sun as it was beginning to set, if she didn't hurry she would be stuck walking home in the dark again. The hanyou's nose twitched and he looked down from the sacred tree he had been sitting in, and finally saw Kagome walking towards the house. As she passed the tree he jumped down from his branch and stood directly behind her.
"Its about time you got home. What were you doing anyway?" Kagome turned around and cocked her head at the young hanyou. His red sweatshirt had a few leaves sticking to it and his dark blue jeans did as well. Was he hiding up in the sacred tree?
"Inuyasha? What, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha crossed arms and looked away from her. He hadn't anticipated her asking him that, why was he here? He growled and started to feel a little foolish.
"No reason, I was just in the neighborhood okay? Is it so bad I came to see if you were home?" Inuyasha was never very good at thinking on his feet in situations like these, and this was a perfect example of it.
"Just in the neighborhood?" She repeated. That had to be the most cliche thing she has ever heard.
"Inuyasha, please forgive me, but I don't really feel like being around anyone right now. I have to go home and start dinner for my little brother and gramps." Kagome wondered if she should have added 'It's not you, it's me.' in there but decided against. She wasn't really in the mood for jokes anyway.
Inuyasha glanced over towards the girl in front of him and saw something unexpected in her eyes. He thought for sure there would be sparks of fire in her like he had the night before, but right now the Kagome that stood before him looked sad, let down, and maybe a little disappointed.
"Good. I haven't eaten since this morning and am starving." He said and walked passed her toward the front door. Kagome blinked where he once stood. Did he just invite himself over for dinner?
"Hey, wench. You just gonna stand there staring at nothing or are you gonna come in here and start cooking?" Inuyasha was holding her front door open when she turned around. Does this idiot really think he can just invite himself into my house and expect me to cook for him?
"I don't think so dog boy. You can't just walk into someone's house uninvited and expect them too cook for you! Where are your manners anyway?" Inuyasha smirked. The fire was back in her eyes.
"Heh, whatever. I waited here all day for you and you showed up late, so the least you can do is cook me dinner." This guy had some serious nerve! He sat at her house all day long waiting for her? Who even does that?!
"So let me get this straight. You came here this morning probably sometime after I left for school, waited until I got home, and didn't even say a word of it to me, and that makes this all my fault." Kagome said through gritted teeth. His logic made no sense whatsoever.
"Yeah, sounds about right." He said with arms crossed.
"I thought you were 'just in the neighborhood'? All day seems like a long time to be hanging around. There isn't much on this street, you know." Kagome saw his eyes widen a little and this time it was her turn to smirk and cross her arms.
"Uhm, Hey sis. Whose your friend?" Kagome glance through the door and saw her little brother standing just in side of it.
"Ah, Souta. This is Inuyasha. He was just leaving." Kagome hoped he would get the hint and actually leave, but she forgot how stubborn the half demon was.
"yeah, until your ever so sweet sister here invited me over for dinner." Souta looked over at Inuyasha and his eyes widened. Kagome knew exactly why, it was those fuzzy dog ears on top of his head.
"Wh-what are you?" Souta asked while tugging on his red sweatshirt. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach his sleeve.
"I'm a half demon, got a problem with that?" Inuyasha said looking down at the kid. Souta's eyes only brightened which caught him a little off guard, most kids were terrified of him.
"Wow! Kagome is he really staying for dinner? He's so cool!" Inuyasha grinned smugly and looked at Kagome.
"Well Kagome?" He asked.
Kagome hadn't seen Souta this excited in a long time, how was she supposed to say no? She walked up to the door and made sure to glare at Inuyasha.
"Fine, you can stay for dinner. I hope you like ramen, because that's about all we have right now." She said while walking through the entry way. She wished she could make something more, but their money was slowly drying up and ramen was about the only thing they could really afford right now.
"Is there anyone who doesn't like ramen? I'm pretty sure that stuff was bestowed upon us from gods themselves!" Inuyasha had so much enthusiasm in his voice that Kagome wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic, or if he just really loved ramen.
"Sounds like you better make lots of ramen sis." Souta said giggling.
"Hey Inuyasha, do you wanna play video games with me? I'm really good!" The young boy asked his new dog-eared friend.
Kagome couldn't believe how well her little brother was taking to Inuyasha. Souta became more distant after their father passed away. Even though he had only been 8 years old when he passed, it still hurt him just as much as everyone else. It was nice to see him opening up around someone, maybe she should invite Inuyasha over more often. She shook her head. She almost forgot she hadn't invited him tonight, that he actually invited himself.
"Heh, sure why not? Just don't think I'll go easy on ya cus you're a runt or anything. I don't like losing to nobody!" Inuyasha teased.
"I wouldn't be so cocky, Inuyasha. Souta practically lives on that game cube, he's actually pretty good." Kagome giggled. Even though it was all in good fun, she still had to stick up for Souta in someway. He was her little brother after all and no body would pick on him while she was around.
"Sis you haven't played with me in months, you haven't even seen how much better I have gotten!" He was clearly very proud of himself. He grabbed Inuyasha's hand and started dragging him towards the living room.
"Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes you got it!" Inuyasha heard Kagome yell out as her kid brother was dragging him to the other room. Inuyasha wasn't usually about shoving himself into peoples homes or their lives, but he sat around waiting all day for Kagome and he was damned if it was going to be for nothing. If it wasn't for her little brothers infatuation with him getting in here would have been a helluva lot harder. Inuyasha sat down on the floor and grabbed one of the controllers, waiting for Souta to put in the game. As the screen popped up he noticed the runt had chosen Mario Kart. Inuyasha smirked, he was very good at this game. The kid grabbed his controller and sat himself right next to the hanyou and was grinning.
"I wouldn't be smiling if I were you."
"Why's that?" Souta looked up at him, confused.
"Because your in for the beating of your life! This is my favorite game." Inuyasha held his smirk as he looked down at the boy. Souta met his eyes with a toothy grin. They played a few rounds and when Kagome yelled that dinner was ready and Souta let out a loud "awww." If Inuyasha wasn't starving he probably would have said it too. He really had a lot of fun playing with the runt and he was actually pretty good. Not better than him, but the older boy was nice and let him win a few times, despite his earlier threat.
Inuyasha was the first one at the table and grabbed a big bowl of ramen with Souta once again right by his side. They both dove into their dinner like that hadn't eat in months. Kagome blinked at them a few times as she saw noodles and broth flying everywhere.
"I guess he definitely wasn't being sarcastic about how much he loved ramen." Kagome mumbled under her breath.
She felt herself start to giggle at the two of them, until she heard the small creaks from the stairs. She immediately ran to see who it was. If it was gramps she would need to be there to assist him. When she ran into the living room she looked up to see her mom coming down. Kagome was surpised, to say the least. her mom never came down this late, if at all.
"Hi mom. How are you feeling?" Kagome asked. The older woman looked at her daughter with tired eyes and tear stained cheeks. Her hair hadn't been brushed in what looked like a few days and her cloths were extremely wrinkled, probably because she hadn't changed them recently. Her usually well kept mother looked like nothing more than a disheveled mess.
"I really don't know how I'm feeling Kagome... It, it still hurts." Kagome saw her mothers eyes begin to fill with tears again and she ran up to her.
"I know momma, it still hurts me too." She said while wrapping her arms around her. Her mother returned her embrace and quietly sobbed into her daughters shoulder.
"What would I do without you Kagome? I'm a mess..." Kagome tightened her grip on her mother and began fighting back her own tears.
She hated seeing her mother like this. Her mom had always been so bright and happy. She was always involved in her kids lives and did everything she could for them. Kagome wished there was something she could do to help her mom become at least a fraction of her old self again.
"Momma, it doesn't matter alright? I've been taking care of everything and I will continue to do so for as long as it takes. You can count on me, I promise." Her mom sobbed even more and Kagome knew she had to try to take her back to her room. If Souta walked in to see their mom like this, it would kill him.
"Come on mom, lets get you back to bed. I'll bring you whatever you need, alright?" Mrs. Higurashi nodded her head and allowed her daughter to lead her up the stairs. As they entered her dark room Kagome guided her over to the big bed she had once shared with her now deceased husband. As she assisted her mom back into her bed she made sure to wrap the covers comfortable around her.
"Kagome, I'm so proud of you. Thank you so much for all you are doing..." Her mother whispered to her.
"You just get some rest momma, don't worry about anything alright? Do you need anything from downstairs?"
"No, I think I'll be fine now. You go hangout with your friend and Souta now, alright?" Kagome's eyes widened at her mother.
"How did you know I had someone over?" The older woman let a small smile escape her lips and the younger girl was relieved to see it. Her mother hadn't smiled in over a year.
"Just go back downstairs, alright. I'll be fine." She said and rolled over. Kagome left the room and quietly shut the door. As she went down the stairs, she immediately was caught into the intense gold stare of the hanyou.
"So, that was your mom huh?" He asked. Kagome looked at her feet as she walked down.
"Yeah...She hasn't been the same since dad died."
"She definitely looks like she's seen better days." He said softly.
"Did Souta see her like that?" Kagome asked suddenly worried.
"Nah, when I saw her I told him not to leave the kitchen. He tried but I kept a close eye on him." Kagome was grateful now that Inuyasha pushed his way into her home now. If he wasn't there Souta would have had a front row seat to that whole scene.
"Thank you Inuyasha. I really really appreciate that." She made her way over the couch and buried her head in her hands.
"Yeah, well, I figured no one should have to see their mom like that, not even you." Kagome slid her hands up farther and entangled them into her bangs.
"Someone has to take care of her. Souta is only 9 years old, and my grandfather is too old to even take care of himself." Kagome felt a knot in her throat begin to form and she shook her head slowly. She shouldn't be having this conversation with Inuyasha of all people. She barely knew the guy.
"When's the last time you ever did anything fun? Something for yourself?" Kagome was caught off guard by his question.
"I haven't been able to do anything for myself in a long time, Inuyasha. I have to take care of my family, and I'm okay with that. They need me." Her voice trailed off and she could feel her shoulders tense from the stress of thinking about it. It had been a long time since she could say she has done anything for herself. She was 16 years old, she should be out having the time of her life.
"Can't you take a day off every once in a while? Or at least for a few hours to do something enjoyable? Go to a movie, the park, anything?" He sounded frustrated. Why would he be frustrated? This wasn't his burden.
"Between school, homework, getting Souta to soccer practice, and taking care of the household, I have barely anytime for myself. The little free time I can muster up for is going to be used for work. I had a job interview today, actually. That is why I was late coming home." Kagome felt a tear escape from her eyes and she cursed herself.
"Did you get the job?" Inuyasha asked.
"No. The guy brought me in for my interview and basically told me that he wasn't going to hire me, that he already had someone else in mind...I didn't even have a fair chance." Inuyasha was relieved she didn't get the job. She shouldn't be running herself ragged like this. He understood why, he honestly truly did, but she was suffering and that didn't sit well with him.
"Anyway enough about me, what do you do Inuyasha? We've spent all this time talking about my personal life I think it's only fair I get to hear yours now." She brought her head up and put on the best smile she could. She was trying to chang the subject.
"I'll hire you." Kagome's smile was quickly gone. He...will hire me?
"What?"
"I said, I'll hire you." He was looking right at her with that same intense stare. She thought maybe he pitied her, but she felt more like he understood her and wanted to help, which made her feel a lot lets pathetic.
"What would you even have me do?" She asked.
"I don't know. I'll figure out something. My apartment is pretty messy, I supposed I could pay you to clean it. Along with other odd jobs." He said shrugging his shoulders. Clean his apartment? That doesn't sound so bad.
"How much would are you willing to pay?"
"Does $75 a day, 5 days a week, sounds alright?" He said smirking. Kagome's jaw dropped and she looked at him in bewilderment.
"Can you afford that?!"
"Keh, when my old man died he left me a pretty nice inheritance, so yeah I can afford it easy." He said crossing his arms. Stupid wench, did she really think he would have offered that much if he couldn't afford it.
"Maybe after a few weeks you can even have a pay raise, if you do a good enough job that is." He said with his arms still crossed. Inuyasha felt something collide into his chest and he looked down to see Kagome embracing him. He felt his cheeks start to get warm and he began to scratch his head nervously.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing wench?" His voice was a little more shaky than he liked.
"Thank you Inuyasha. You have no idea how much this means to me." She said and brought her chocolate brown eyes to meet his. He noticed they had tears coming out of them, and he wrinkled his nose at her.
"If you're so happy, why are you crying huh?"
"These are tears of joy Inuyasha." She let go of him and wiped the drops from her cheeks and smiled. He really didn't understand humans. They cry when they are sad, they cry when their mad, and they even cry when they are happy? Inuyasha couldn't even remember the last time he cried for any reason, let alone cry from happiness.
"Keh, well whatever. You start tomorrow alright? I'll be here to pick you up at 4pm sharp. Don't be late this time." He said as he headed towards her front door. It was getting late and he figured he should head home anyway.
"Yes sir!" She said while still smiling and following him to the door. She was so relieved right now that she didn't even feel the need to yell at him for saying 'this time', and to explain to him that she didn't know that he was going to be here , so it wasn't her fault. She would let it slide just this once. He stepped out the front door and turned around to look at her.
"Hey... Try to read a book or something before you go to bed, alright." His eyes moved over to the side.
"I read my chemistry book almost every night. If there's anything that can put me to sleep, its science!" She said while giggling.
"That's not what I meant. Just, try to do something for yourself, okay?" He said and ran off before she could answer.
That Inuyasha sure is something else. Kagome began to wonder if she will ever understand him. She closed the door and went into the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess, when she noticed Souta was still in the dining room.
"Souta, why are you still in here? Wouldn't you rather be out in the living room playing video games?"
"Inuyasha told me to stay in here, and I promised I wouldn't go out there until either you or him came in to say it was okay." Poor Souta looked bored out of his mind, but she had to give him props for listening so well. She smiled at her little brother and put her hand on his head.
"You really liked Inuyasha, didn't you Souta?" His blue eyes brightened up and he shook his head up and down happily.
"Do you think he will come over again to hangout with me?"
"Oh I don't know. Something tells me he just might." She said and rubbed his head.
"Now, go take a bath and put your pajamas on alright? Its almost time for bed."
"Yeah ok sis. Thanks for dinner!" He said and left the room.
Kagome began making her way to her bedroom when she passed the bookshelf in the living room. As she stopped to glance at a few of the books, she realized she never noticed how big of a variety there was. She looked at the time and noticed it was 10:30pm, she needed to go to bed, not read a book. What as she thinking?
"That's not what I meant. Just, try to do something for yourself, okay?"
Inuyasha's words rang in her ears as she stared at the book case. Her eyes scanned all the different titles and she even looked at a few of the covers and read some summaries. When she couldn't decide which one to take, she closed her eyes and picked a book at random and headed up the stairs.