Hey! I know this update is a bit late and I apologize. But guess what? School's done which means more chapters up faster!
First: Thank you Dreamer of All for being a great beta!
Second:
JJLi14- No research in this chapter-sorry. But you have to read for yourself and see the Sess-kag interaction in this chapter! Thanks for your constant reviews! Enjoy Chapter 4!
clara954- I love Yura- I would have brought in her hair fetish if I could have! Rin's always obliviously cute- she's just Rin! I don't know about any more Kagome-Yura interaction...we'll see. But other than that I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
estelin- aw thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter as well!
Scherherazade- I love your name in case I didn't mention it before. Erm, you're going to have to tell me what you think of the pace at the end of this chapter- I hope it's not too fast. If it is, please don't hesitate to review and tell me why you think its going too fast! Enjoy Chapter 4!
casedeputy- Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy chapter 4!
drkkizzes12- well here's more, keep the pages turning and enjoy chapter 4!
And now finally chapter 4!
Chapter 4: Sleepover
Kagome looked up from her paperwork when she heard a knock on her door. A young redhead stood there, looking in, with an older man behind him. Upon seeing the two men at the door, she jumped up to welcome them. "Souta!" she exclaimed greeting her brother. "How are you and Ayumi?"
"Good," he replied, "And how's my little sister?" Souta engulfed Kagome in a hug which she reciprocated equally. "I heard you had a new case recently?"
Kagome pulled away before responding. "Yes, it's my first custody case." Kneeling down she opened her arms. "First thing though, Shippo needs to give his favorite aunt a hug."
With a huge smile the redhead launched forward and gave her a big hug. "I missed you," he stated pulling away. For a seven-year old, Shippo was quite small, but he had the cunning ability to trick adults into giving him what he wanted, the only exceptions being Kagome and his parents.
"Well kiddo," the young lawyer stated, ruffling his hair lovingly, "I missed you too." She led her brother and nephew to her seating area, pulling a chair out for herself. Souta launched her into a discussion on the case and watched Shippo to make sure that he didn't run away and get into trouble that somehow followed him everywhere. Souta worked for an architectural firm but loved knowledge, so he always talked to Kagome about her cases. There was always new information he could pick up. It was well into a half-hour before Souta ended the conversation.
"Look, Kags," he began using her nickname, "I have to go if Ayumi and I want to catch our train on time. Thanks again though for taking care of this little rascal." He ruffled Shippo's hair, ignoring the boy's protests, and stood up.
"No problem," she answered, knowing her brother needed some time to celebrate his anniversary with his wife, "You and Ayumi go and have fun. Just be sure to show me the pictures."
"Of course." Souta engulfed both his sister and son in a hug one last time before departing with a wave.
Once he had disappeared, Kagome turned to her nephew. "So what do you want to do?" Shippo looked up at his aunt in thought. He was seven years old and slowly growing into the "girls have cooties" phase but his aunt seemed too fun to have them.
"Can we watch football?" Shippo loved soccer and secretly Kagome knew it was her fault.
Ever since she was little, she had adored the sport - watching it anyway. Kagome knew all the rules and regulations, was an avid fan of Serie A, the English Premier League, and La Liga. Her favorite European football team was Barcelona and she knew that they had recently played a game with Sevilla, which they won. Kagome quickly moved to the television in the break room, hoping that she could somehow access it. Flipping through the channels, she was surprised when she came across an English Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City. She left the game on and turned to Shippo.
"Are you okay with watching this?" Shippo nodded. His father was an avid Arsenal fan and thus he was completely okay to watch this game. Kagome smiled, leaving him in the room, making sure he knew where she was in case he needed her. When she came back, she was surprised to see Sesshomaru there, with Rin.
"Hello, Taisho-san." She stated, ushering him and Rin to take a seat. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Hn." Sesshomaru answered, pulling out his Blackberry and reading the e-mail Ayame had just sent him. Apparently, Hakudoshi's firm was making certain limitations and, as if he hadn't worked on them all week, it seemed there were some new ones he needed to draft negotiations for. Sighing, he stood up.
"Higurashi, I trust you will take care of her. She has a set of night clothes and toiletries in case the meetings run late tonight." He pointedly waited for Kagome's reaction, a nod, before continuing. "I have to go now." He turned to Rin, who gave him a hug that he reciprocated with a pat to her head. "Bye Rin."
"Bye Papa Sess!" Rin exclaimed watching him leave. She then turned to Kagome who was dumbfounded by Sesshomaru's actions. "What are we going to do tonight?"
Kagome pushed the frozen pizza into the oven, above the French Fries, and shut the door. She moved to look behind her at the two children waiting in the dining room. The kids had been playing board games with her; currently they were in the middle of an on-going, two hour long, game of Monopoly, Shippo winning, Rin almost tied with him, and Kagome grudgingly in third. She moved to the kids and then to the dining room table where the game was set up.
"All right, let's get the game going. It's Shippo's turn now isn't it?" Nodding, Rin and Shippo attacked the game while Kagome played with them, humoring their interests. Ten minutes in, she moved to take the fries out of the oven, and ten minutes after that, she popped out the pizza. When she came back, she answered that they would play three more rounds before finishing and eating dinner.
When all was said and done, Rin won, by property, since Shippo had unluckily landed on one of her hotels. Shippo, though, had come in second, since Kagome was near broke with only two hundred dollars to spare. She cheered for the kids and moved to set the table, giving each child a slice of pizza and some fries. It was as she was serving the food that she wondered what Sesshomaru would think of the food. It would probably be too common to him, she mused, handing each child a plate.
After dinner, the trio had decided to give up the game and watch Finding Nemo instead. Halfway through the movie, Shippo was quoting Dory and later in the movie, all three ended up singing along with her. When the movie finished, Kagome eyed the clock. It was already eight-thirty and Sesshomaru hadn't shown up yet. Deciding that the kids needed sleep soon, she ushered them to change and brush their teeth while she cleaned up the kitchen. Nearly twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, opening the door. It was now nine at night and the kids were about to go bed. She opened the door and he walked in mechanically, searching for Rin.
"She's brushing her teeth." Kagome answered, ushering him to a seat on her couch. "Take a seat while I get you something to eat." He followed her instructions, alone for only a few seconds before Rin came to find him.
"Papa Sess!" she exclaimed seeing him. However, she also noted the fatigue showing in his face. "Are you tired? You can sleep for a little bit and I'll wake you up." Her godfather shook his head no, orienting himself as Kagome returned with a plate of food and some water.
"I know it's not much," she answered noticing the look on his face, "but it's better than nothing." Sesshomaru took the offered food with a "Thank you", as Kagome ushered Rin to bed. She finished putting both the kids to sleep in the guest room and walked out to see Sesshomaru had polished his plate.
"I'll take that," she offered, moving to pick it up. He nodded, intending to follow her into the kitchen, but was stopped.
"You look tired enough, Taisho-san," she reprimanded, suddenly conscious of her slip-up in his name earlier, "Just rest for a minute before you have to drive Rin home."
Sesshomaru wanted to argue, but Higurashi had a point. Grudgingly, he nodded, too tired to do anything else and closed his eyes for a moment. He needed just a few minutes of slumber, he assured himself, and then everything would be fine.
Kagome walked out into the living room, after having cleaned the kitchen and was shocked at what she saw. Sesshomaru now lay on the couch, feet on the coffee table, fast asleep. She walked towards him and decided to let him sleep. She had heard a lot about his week, from all the calls she'd made to Ayame, and knew that he needed the rest.
Going against her better judgment, she moved his feet onto the couch, slipping his shoes off and succeeding after several minutes to remove his suit jacket and tie. The last thing she wanted was for him to wake up yelling at her for not preventing "strangulation" from his tie. Once everything was done, she folded his jacket and tie, placing them on the coffee table, and moved his shoes to the side. She searched for a blanket that she then covered him with and quickly penned him a note, leaving to her room so she could go to bed herself.
Sesshomaru woke up with light pouring onto his face from a skylight. Taking a few moments to fully wake up, he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. He was covered in a blanket, and was sleeping on something hard- a couch he realized. Looking to his right he was surprised to see his suit jacket and tie on the coffee table in front of him with a note attached.
Sitting up, now that he was awake, he blinked his eyes a few times and reached for the note.
Taisho-san,
This is Kagome Higurashi. If you're wondering where you are, I'd like to let you know that you fell asleep on my couch last night. I didn't want to wake you since you seemed so tired. Rin is currently asleep with my nephew in the guest bedroom and if you need anything please help yourself. See you in the morning!
He processed the note, taking a look at his surroundings. He was on the couch, across from a television with armchairs on either side. Turning behind him, he saw the kitchen and a dining room. Wanting to find the guest bedroom he turned his gaze to the three doors on the left side of the living room, wondering which door was the one he was looking for. The answer was given to him however when a door opened and Higurashi herself walked out.
"Good morning." She stated, moving to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?"
"Morning." he answered. "May I use the bathroom?" Kagome nodded, pointing to the door on the far right.
"That's it right there. If you need anything let me know. I have extra toothbrushes under the sink, if you'd like some." Sesshomaru nodded, moving to use the bathroom. He found the toothbrushes easily and brushed his teeth before joining Kagome in the kitchen. The delicious aroma of coffee hit his nose and he wondered what kind it was. Turning his eyes to the counter, he was surprised to see a bag of Guatemalan coffee - the same brand he used.
"How would you like your coffee?" Kagome asked, suddenly wishing she had her robe on. She was wearing an old college shirt with dark green pajama pants. While it was modest, compared to Sesshomaru, she felt underdressed.
"With some milk and sugar please," the corporate tycoon answered.
So far this morning, he had not yet matched wits with Higurashi and she had done nothing but host him- a complete stranger- for the night, so he decided being civil was courteous. He watched her move around the kitchen and wondered how the lawyer that was so easily riled seemed so docile and relaxed in her home. She moved around with ease, and he found that he envied her grace. He himself was a terrible mess in the morning and often times had to make his coffee at least twice - not that anyone would ever know that, of course.
Kagome handed him his mug, and he accepted it with a thanks, taking a sip of the heavenly drink. He watched Kagome move to grab her own mug and take a sip before she spoke up.
"I'm sorry about the couch." She announced, pointing to the living room. "But you fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you." Sesshomaru sighed, looking into his mug.
"Next time Higurashi, do wake me. I prefer to not wake up confused as to my whereabouts." Kagome rolled her eyes, not wanting to fall into an argument so early in the morning.
"Whatever. It's eight right now; do you want to go see if the kids are awake?" Sesshomaru put his empty cup on the counter, moving to the doors and going to the door at the far left, behind the dining room. He knocked on the door lightly and when he heard no movement, moved inside.
Rin and Shippo were awake, and judging from the game of go-fish they were engaged in, they had been awake for a while. The kids looked up and smiled in greeting.
"Papa Sess!" Rin exclaimed moving to see him. "Are we leaving now?"
"No," he answered, opening the door wider, "but come get some breakfast. Have you brushed your teeth yet?"
"Yes." She answered. "Shippo and I brushed them about an hour ago." Sesshomaru believed her; never had Rin lied to him. The kids bounded out the room and into the kitchen, where Kagome laughed, promising the kids pancakes, since she'd already got the batter ready.
An hour later, Sesshomaru was driving home, when Rin asked a question that surprised him. "Papa Sess? How come we slept at Kagome's house?"
"We were both tired, Rin, and I couldn't drive back home."
"But you never do that!" she replied. "Are you and Kagome really not friends?" She scrunched up her face in question, challenging her godfather.
"Yes Rin," he answered, not sure why last night's actions were surprising to him as well. Higurashi can't grow on me, he argued in his thoughts. She's too opinionated and can't fit into my class anyway. Shaking his head from his thoughts, he pulled into the parking deck wondering how much more work he had to complete today, determined to not let a certain lawyer enter his thoughts.
So what do you think? Please review and let me know what you think!
I admit I love European soccer and for any soccer fans out there who share in my dissapointment at Barcelona's loss to Inter- I sympathize. But on a better note, I'll be backing Inter on May 22nd and watch Morhino's team beat Bayern Munich!
Thank you ^_^
Kaoruhana
