Chapter 8: The Plan

She woke up, her head pounding, and she rolled over, groaning, to look at her clock through sleepy eyes. Her eyes flew open when she saw that it was already past two. She let out a squeak, and jumped out of bed. She almost ran into her closet, throwing everything around to find something to wear. She found a suit, threw it on, and went into the bathroom, brushing her teeth at lightning speed. She found some shoes, and, in mid-run, put them on. She was about to unlock her door and leave, when she suddenly heard Sango singing in the kitchen. She ran into the kitchen, and stood there, glaring at Sango, hands on her hips. Sango was cooking, her back turned to Kagome. She turned around, and her voice died in her throat at seeing Kagome, looking pissed enough to strangle her. She lifted her hands up, and said,

"Now, Kagome, don't get mad, but-" Kagome approached Sango, steam practically coming out of her ears.

"Mad? Why would I get mad?"

"Well, I know that you don't like when anyone cooks with your stuff, but I was just so hungry I-"

"So you couldn't wake me up? Do you realize how late I am? No, I'm not mad at you at all, and the fact that I'm more than five hours late for work has nothi-"

"Kagome, what the hell are you talking about?" said Sango in a confused voice. Kagome stopped, and now she looked confused.

"What do you mean, what am I talking about? It's Saturday, isn't it?" Sango looked at Kagome like she had hit her head really hard, before she said, very slowly,

"No, Kagome, today is Sunday, and yesterday you had a free day anyway. You and I went shopping, and then you met up with Naraku, and then you saw Inuyasha." Kagome groaned, and slapped a hand to her forehead. She moved over to a chair, and sat down in it. She kicked off her shoes, and looked at Sango, her hand still on her forehead.

"Sango, how's about you make me a cup of coffee?" Sango flashed Kagome a grin, and said,

"Of course, Madame, right away." Kagome giggled as Sango sauntered over to the countertop, and took out the coffeepot and a mug. She walked over to the table, and put the mug on it, and held the coffeepot, pouring out the coffee.

"Today, Madame, we have vanilla and hazelnut coffee, well-roasted with full body, for your coffee-tasting pleasure. We do so hope that you enjoy, and if you need sugar, it's right here next to your mug." Kagome giggled and smiled at her friend, who smiled back, and handed Kagome the sugar before turning back to the countertop. She picked up her own mug, and sipped at the coffee, before turning back to her cooking. Kagome put in a few spoons of sugar, stirred, and sipped at the liquid. She let out a sigh, and then unbuttoned her suit jacket. Her head was still pounding, and she realized that probably because of that she had mixed up what day it was. Sango continued with her singing, while Kagome slowly got lost in her thoughts. She frowned to herself, remembering last night's date with Naraku. She snorted to herself; she couldn't believe that she had ever loved him. Then her eyes shimmered with tears as she remembered what happened between her and Inuyasha. The image of his face after the kiss, she had never seen so much passion and rapture in a face at once. The feeling of his arms around her was burned into her flesh; she closed her eyes to steady her breathing, and took a deep breath. She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself, before opening her eyes and seeing Sango's face about five inches from hers. Kagome blinked, and screamed, before falling off her chair on her behind. Sango looked at her as she picked herself up off the floor, muttering several expletives, and said,

"Kagome, are you cold? Or are you thinking about Inuyasha, and that's why you drifted off." Kagome sat in the chair, and huffed at Sango,

"No, of course not, I'm cold, that's all." She stood up, and turned to the regulator to turn up the heat, more to avoid Sango's looks than because she was really cold. She turned the thermometer up to 95 degrees, and left the kitchen, going towards her bedroom. On her way to the bedroom, she picked up a remote that sat on the table in the living room, and turned on her stereo. She changed the CDs to an Italian singer, Nek, and turned the volume up. In her bedroom, she opened her walk-in closet and looked at the pile of clothes on the floor. She stooped, started to pick up the clothes, and put them away. She eventually picked out a pair of jeans and a spaghetti top to wear, and changed into them, hanging the suit up. She stepped out of the closet, and closed the doors. She went back into the kitchen, where Sango had set out plates and the food she had cooked. She smiled at Sango, who smiled back, and sat down before a plate. Kagome sat across from her, and poured out what was in the pot. She was shocked when she saw spaghetti, perfectly cooked, mixed in a sauce. She poked at the spaghetti gingerly, picking up a few strands, and put them in her mouth. Sango looked on, and started laughing when Kagome started gobbling the food. Sango sat and dug in herself, and within ten minutes the two friends were done, pushing their plates away from themselves.

"Wow, Sango, when did you become such a good cook? The last time I had such good pasta I was in Italy," Kagome sighed to her friend. Sango smiled at her, and leaned back in her chair. No need to tell her that I only heated up what I bought at Alberto's today…

"What can I say? People do change, Kagome." Kagome laughed, and stood up, picking up the plates. She put them in the sink and then, taking her still-unfinished coffee, went into the living room, where Nek was still blaring from the speakers. She turned down the volume on the stereo, and turned on the TV. Sango followed Kagome to the living room, and the two friends sat on the couch together. Kagome flipped channels, and finally landed on an English news channel.

"Kagome, why do you insist on watching all these foreign channels? I mean, you are back in Japan, and you really don't need Italian, or French, or Spanish, or any other language, other than English. Besides, I hate the English news channels; they're always full of boring stuff. They love to dramatize…"

"Sango, I keep them all alive because I love all those languages. Plus, Grandfather would probably have a heart attack if I forgot any of those languages; he would say that all that money was wasted on a good-for-nothing girl." Kagome smiled bitterly at her friend, and Sango turned her head back to the news; she knew how much it hurt Kagome that her grandfather was such a chauvinistic bastard, though she would never admit it. Sango sat and watched the news channel, slowly drifting off into space. She looked around her, while Kagome was glued to the set. Sango looked at her, and noticed that she was smiling slightly, looking at the TV. She was shocked to see that Kagome had changed the channel, and the local TV station was showing a picture of Naraku and his family. She honed in on the TV, to better hear what the newscaster was saying.

"… And in other news, politician Naraku Hakechi has said that the opposing party will not be allowed to push through the new law concerning…" Sango stopped paying attention to the news, and stood up. She walked over to the stereo, and turned it off completely. She then walked over to where she had left her purse, and took out her cell phone, dialing Miroku. She knew that he would be worried sick where she was, even though she had told him that she was going to be at Kagome's. Sometimes, that man is more trouble than he's worth. Sango smiled to herself; it may have been true, but she loved him just as much as he loved her.

"Hello?"

"Miroku, it's me."

"Sango, is everything ok? Is Kagome alright?"

"She's fine. But listen, I need a favor from you."

"Name it."

"I need you to come and pick me and Kagome up."

"What for?"

"She needs company, and we are her best friends. Bring along Shippou, too."

"Alright, darling, whatever you say. Anything, or anyone, else I should bring along?" Sango smiled, and said,

"Yes, there is. Bring along Inuyasha as well."

Kagome, meanwhile, sat glued to the TV, and barely acknowledged that Sango had left. She heard her in the background making a phone call to Miroku, but she could have cared less. Naraku was on the news, but it wasn't Naraku that had caught her attention. They had shown a picture of him and his family, and she was somehow more interested in Inuyasha. His eyes, even on the TV, seared straight through to her soul, and made her heart pound faster. It's like he's looking straight at me, and only me. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes once more, only to open them, and find Sango next to her. She looked up at her friend, who smiled widely at her. Kagome shrank back into the couch; I know what that look is for.

"Kagome, how about you and I go take a little walk?" Kagome looked up at Sango, and squeaked out,

"Walk? Walk where?" Sango smiled at her, and stood up. She went into Kagome's closet, and started looking through her clothes. Gotta find her something extra sexy, but not slutty. She looked through the shirts, skirts, pants, suits, and dresses, finally coming upon a pair of jeans, and an asymmetric foam-green tunic. She smiled to herself as she lifted the two articles off of their hangers, and put them on Kagome's bed. She then picked out a pair of platform sandals, the leather straps the same foam-green color. Perfect!

"Oooh, Kagomeeeee! Come here for a minute!" Kagome shuffled into the room, looking for all the world like a rabbit caught in the open by a fox.

"What do you want, Sango?"

"I want you to put this on for our little walk," she said, smiling mischievously. Kagome looked at the clothes, looked at Sango, and said, in a small voice,

"Sango, where exactly are you taking me? Or, better yet, who are you taking me to see?"

"Now, now, Miroku's coming in a little while, so put this on, go brush your teeth, and put on your makeup. Go on, go on." She patted Kagome on the shoulder, forcing her into the bathroom, where she showered quickly, and put the outfit on. She put on her makeup, and exited the bathroom, where she saw Sango and Miroku waiting for her in the living room.

"Come on, Kagome, we brought some guests for you to see as well." Kagome grabbed her purse, and her cell phone, and went with them. She locked the door, and turned towards the elevator. Who the hell are the guests?

They entered the elevator, and Miroku pressed the button for the garage. Sango melted into Miroku's arms, while Kagome stood ramrod-straight against the elevator wall, nervous about who they had called. They reached the garage, and the door opened. Sango and Miroku left first, then Kagome. Sango pushed her towards the car, where a tall red-haired youth was waiting. He turned around, and Kagome's breath caught as she recognized her cousin.

"Shippou!" Kagome ran towards the redhead, who looked at her, a smile lighting up his entire face. He caught Kagome in his arms as she barreled straight into him, and he said, in a playful voice,

"I missed you too, Kagome. It's not every day that I get to see my favorite cousin." He kissed her cheek, and she kissed him back, hugging him tightly. They let go, and Kagome turned to her two friends, and said,

"So, where are we going?" Miroku, Sango and Shippou looked at each other, before Shippou looked at Kagome, with a mischievous grin, and said,

"Well, we're gonna go for a walk in the park, Kagome. And then, we're gonna go get something to eat." Kagome looked at him, before saying,

"What exactly do you have up your sleeve, Kitsune?" Kitsune was Shippou's nickname since childhood; he was as mischievous as the foxes that carried the name. Shippou only smiled at her, and said,

"Come on, let's go, and no more questions." He pushed Kagome into the Mercedes, and she, though not without protest, entered. Miroku and Sango also entered, and Miroku turned on the car. Kagome drifted off as Miroku drove, staring out the window. She found herself drifting off, thinking about Inuyasha once more. She closed her eyes, putting her forehead against the window, and imagined his eyes. The look he had given her was burned in her mind, and the feel of his lips would forever be engraved on hers. She didn't even realize that she smiled slightly in the car, or that everyone was looking at her. Sango looked at Miroku, who smiled at her, while Shippou looked at Kagome, then looked at Sango and Miroku. They both smiled back at him, and Shippou turned back to Kagome. He finally shook her shoulder, and she opened her eyes, looking up at him, confused. He smiled at her, and leaned back.

After a while, Kagome noticed that Miroku was slowing down, circling around one of her favorite parks. He parked the car in the parking lot, and turned it off. Sango, Miroku and Shippou all started getting out of the car, while Kagome sat for a little bit more, lost in her thoughts. Shippou knocked on the window, and Kagome jumped, startled out of her thoughts. Shippou opened the door, and Kagome stepped out, the slight breeze whipping her hair around. She looked around, and then looked at her friends.

"So, what are we gonna do? You guys want to go to the sand garden, or to the botanical garden, or just walk around?" Shippou looked at her, and put an arm around her shoulder. He smiled once more, and she said, in a cautious tone,

"Ok, Kitsune, what have you got up your sleeve? The three of you dragged me out here, now what? I know you have something planned. What is it?"

"Now, now, Kagome, we don't have anything planned, other than a nice walk in the park." Shippou put his arm in Kagome's, Sango in Miroku's, and the four of them walked off. Kagome walked through the park, not even noticing that Shippou was steering her toward the bridge over the little stream. Shippou stopped, and Kagome looked up at him, startled.

"Why did you stop, Shippou?" He smiled at her, and said,

"Because we're here."

"Where is here?"

"Well, here, to meet the fifth member of our party." Kagome looked at him, her face showing her confusion. Shippou smiled at her once more, and said,

"There he is." Kagome turned around, and her face blanched at seeing a man in a suit, long hair reaching to his waist. He turned around, and she was frozen, losing herself in liquid gold eyes.