Title: Words of the Wise
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.
Inuyasha decided he was no longer the young fool Kikyo had married. He had two days before his meeting with her and the lawyers. That gave him time to carefully consider what he wanted from her, and what he was willing to give. Once he had made his notes, and emailed them off to his lawyer, he then turned his thoughts toward Kagome. He could only image what she must think of him. He ignored her for two weeks after their accidental meeting, and then had stood her up the first time he asked her out. He had gotten her proposal for the decorating of his office the day before and hadn't bothered to even look at it, much less call to apologize for his actions. He thought when he first asked her out he would have the opportunity to explain his pending divorce to her, and have it received well. Divorce didn't hold the stigma it once had. But now that Kikyo was pregnant, what was he supposed to say? He supposed the truth would be best, but how could he continue to pursue the woman with two more people who aren't even born yet, two frozen embryos, and divorce hanging over his head? He felt he couldn't.
There was no way, no matter how well he explained the situation to Kagome, that he could expect her to want to date him. And now with as involved as he planned to be with the pregnancy, and raising the children it was too much to ask of someone he barely knew. He decided to keep it to business, hire her to redecorate his office, and leave this at that.
Kagome couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Inuyasha. It was like a black hole had swallowed him up. It had been four days since he stood her up, and he hadn't bothered to call and explain himself. She knew he had her proposal as well, and she wondered how she was supposed to approach the situation. Call and act like nothing had happened? Or call and demand an explanation? It wasn't as big a deal as she made it out to be. So she got stood up. Professionalism and previous handling of clients demand she give him four days to look over the proposal before she called to inquire about the outcome. She shrugged him off, made a note to call on Thursday, and left her apartment to visit her grandfather.
Arriving at the shrine in time for supper, she was glad for the warm reception. "Girl," he commented, "you look more tired than I do, and that's saying something for as old as I am. What's troubling you?"
"Nothing, Grandpa. Just a few too many things on my mind at once." Giving him a peck on the cheek and a wide smiled, she took his arm and walked toward the house.
"Kagome. You never know how long you're going to last, and some last longer than others. Don't worry the small things, dear."
"Yes, Grandpa." Giving him a quick hug Kagome opened the door to the house, and went in to greet her family.
