Title: One Upped
Author: SakuraRyuu
Rating: T
Genre: AU, Angst, Comfort, Drama, Family, Friendship, Romance, WAFF
Characters: Inuyasha, Jii-chan, Kagome, Kikyo, Miroku
Author's Note: Inuyasha and all characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Knowing her own dry cleaner took three days, Kagome gave Inuyasha's three days before she tried calling his business number. Getting Inuyasha's secretary she left a brief message with the woman giving her name and saying it was a personal matter, requesting he return her call at his convenience. Four days passed before she tried calling again. At the two-week mark she emailed him. At first she through him simply busy, his card stating he was part of a publishing company she knew was up and coming. Once two weeks had passed she resigned herself to thinking the man just plain rude. Shrugging him off, Kagome grabbed her satchel and headed out to collect her own dry cleaning, and enjoy a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Stopping at her favorite coffee shop she was careful to watch for others as she exited the building. She perused through the local shops on her way to the cleaners, in no rush to get anywhere. Finally reaching her destination she opened the door and stepped up to the counter. Giving her claim ticket she waited patiently, watching the employees bustle about their work. Looking toward a hanging rack she noticed a soft gray suit with a cleaning bag hanging over it. Walking over she touched it, surprised at it's familiarity as it swayed on the rack.
"Lovely suit, yes?" The owner had come out with her clothing, hanging it on a rack by the cash register. "It had a horrible coffee stain on the front of it when the gentleman brought it in. It took longer than usual to get it out."
"You did wonderful work. Could you add the cost of the cleaning of that suit to my bill?"
Cocking his eyebrow the owner looked surprised at Kagome. "That's very generous of you."
"Oh, it's nothing, really." Pulling out her business card she scrawled something across the bottom, then asked for a stapler and a separate receipt, walking back to the suit. She stapled her card and the receipt to the bag, and returned to the register. "Thank you so much! Until next time." Smiling cheerfully, she left the shop to continue her day.
Inuyasha stopped at his cleaners on the way home from running his errands.
"Ah, hello!" The owner greeted the man pleasantly. "Your suit is ready."
"Great, thank you. How much?" Inuyasha reached into his back pocket for his wallet.
"Oh, no charge." The man winked, handing Inuyasha his suit.
Looking suspicious, he took the wrapped suit, noticing the familiar patter on the card stapled to the receipt on the outside of the cleaner's bag. Scrawled across the bottom in flowing letters the card read, "Gotcha."