A/N: Its been a while. Sorry this chapter is kind of crappy and the meeting between Kagome and Inuyasha was kind of anti climactic. I have so many things i want to write, so this was just a bridge chapter. Try to update again sooner.
"So, you live here?"
"Yup."
"….."
"What?"
"It just…"
"Yes?"
"…. It isn't what I was expecting."
Inuyasha glances around and takes in the tight space of her apartment. There is no furniture, at least none that he can see in the living room, and it makes the space seem somewhat larger, though not by much.
"Yeah. It was a… it was an impulse," Kagome shifts on her feet and watches him critic her home with his eyes. He is the son of a man with nearly unlimited wealth at his fingertips. He's probably offended that she even suggested that he come here.
He clears his throat and turns his attention to her. "A bathroom?"
"Oh, yeah." She moves him past the kitchen and down the narrow corridor to show him the rooms. "The bathroom is here. And the bedroom is here."
A thought strikes Inuyasha's mind, one that he is surprised hadn't hit sooner. It makes him stand up a little straighter, try a little harder to position his body away from hers. "So there's no couch."
"No," Kagome replies, flouncing past his as if she'd yet to notice the obvious (she really hasn't). "I haven't gone shopping for furniture yet, I planned on doing it tomorrow. I need," she furrows her brow, as if trying to recall something from memory "I need a couch, an armchair, a bed frame, maybe two bed frames in case Souta ever changes his mind about staying the night. I kept the TV from my old place, I should've kept the stand. But it was kind of ugly. A coffee table, I don't think there's enough room for a dining room table and-"
"Kagome, that's not what I meant. There's only one bed."
"Ooohhh. Oh, that's not a problem. I'm probably spending tonight… somewhere else. And, you know, tomorrow I'll at least have a couch for you to crash on."
"Where else?"
"What?"
"You said you'll probably spend the night somewhere else. Where?"
Kagome turns to meet his gaze. "Somewhere else?" she responds, in a way that sounds more like 'None of your business.'
He holds her eyes for a moment longer, as if hoping to intimidate her into some sort of confession. None come, instead she pushes into her room and begins to fill a bag. "You can shower. There are some towels in the closet. And maybe change the sheets."
"When will you be back?"
Kagome pauses, confused. When did the hanyou suddenly think that he was allowed to ask so many questions about her life? Especially, she might add, after avoiding all of hers? "Later."
"What am I supposed to do until then?"
"I don't know Inuyasha! Read a book or something!" When she looks at him, Inuyasha is standing in her doorway, watching her with arms crossed and a sour expression on his face. "What?"
"What am I supposed to eat?"
"There's food in the fridge."
"How am I supposed to-"
"You are a grown man. You can cook for yourself." She picks up her bag and tries to move past him, but he fills the doorway with his body and refuses to let her by. "Please move," she asks politely.
"I don't under-"
"Oh my god- MOVE!" She snaps, pushing him harshly and squeezing past the small space he leaves. "I will be back tomorrow! Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone."
When she finally gets to Sesshoumaru's house, Rin is preoccupied. Music plays in the living room, she dances on her toes in an off-beat rhythm that Kagome watches. The girl has a sort of wild grace about her, uncaring and innocent. Kagome wonders how she's held onto it. Only in the darkness of night, and only very briefly, has Sesshoumaru ever spoken of their time in Guo. How they found each other among the debris and ruble and dead.
Jaken, whose bug eyes make his seem perpetually panicked, seems relieved when he sees that Kagome is finally there. Rin notices his attention, she turns eyes alight upon Kagome and she grins widely, shaking her hair and quickly tapping her feet to the upbeat song. "Come dance with me Kagome!"
The older woman shrugs off her jacket and kicks off her shoes, purposefully not straightening them because she knows it will annoy the master of the house. Her bag also lays on the floor. Shaking to the music in with her own graceless moves, Kagome spins and swirls and hops alongside Rin, throwing in random leg and hand movements for the heck of it. Occasionally they dance together, holding hands and twisting and spinning, Kagome surprises the young girl by quickly twirling her with one hand and dipping her backwards.
She has much more stamina than Kagome, the energy of youth and sugar. Eventually Kagome flops on the couch, laughter spilling from her lips between slight pants. For the first time in a number of days, she feels happy. At ease. It pleases her to be able to look at Rin and blame her for this welcome, if brief, reprieve from her stress.
"Get up!" the pixie insists, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her from the couch.
"Give me a second. I'm not as young as I used to be."
"Stop talking like you're old."
"I am. So old, super old! My neck, my back, my neck and my back!" Kagome bends herself dramatically, earning a giggle from her charge. "Will you dance with me at the Gala in a few days?"
"Yes," Rin nods solemnly. "If you can keep up."
Kagome lounges forward, tackling the girl and kissing her cheek. "Brat."
"Hey!"
Sesshoumaru returns home a few hours later and, with great effort, Kagome resists bringing up their previous issues. Rin and Kagome are on the floor, one of Rin's movies playing on the television while Kagome tries her best to draw a castle. Rin is drawing a grove a trees, thick jagged brown trunks and large branches reaching to the sun. Jaken runs to his master, squawk exaltations and joys at his return. A reporting of the state of the house, nothing misplaced or broken, has Rin grinning slyly, as if she was the reason for this particularly ritual.
Sesshoumaru half listens to his subordinate, otherwise occupied with casting a glance around the room. His gaze lands critically on Kagome's shoes, jacket, and bag, still thrown in a disarray on the floor. He turns his attention to Rin, sees that her skin is smudged with art supplies and her fingers have something sticky on them. He can smell chocolate. Coming to her side and crouching on the ground, Sesshoumaru presses a kiss to her forehead.
"How was your day?"
"It was great. Me and Kagome danced and we baked cupcakes and we painted and do you like my picture?"
"Yes. Do you want to put it on the refrigerator?"
"Yeah! Do you want to color too?"
"No, not now. Go wash up. We're going soon."
"Ok." She stands carefully, scurrying away from them and up the stairs. Kagome feels Sesshoumaru's gaze settle on her, but she keeps her eyes trained on her picture and the extremely intricate stairway she was for some reason possessed to draw.
"Are you going to get dressed?" He asked.
"Am I allowed to come? Or am I still on house arrest?"
"Stop being childish."
"I don't like being watched Sesshoumaru. I'm a big girl."
"…"
"Where are we going?"
"To visit Naraku."
Kagome's apartment is small. It doesn't take long for Inuyasha to wander through the halls and rooms, learn the potential entrances and exits. The space smells overwhelming of her, but under it there is a damp, empty scent, residue of previous residents and the time of vacancy.
He wanders, finding it difficult to sit on her bed. He wanders, opening and closing the fridge and her cabinets, looking for something easy to eat. He wanders and wonders why she decided to live here.
The outside is silent, though occasionally he can pick up on footsteps and whispers from people on the street. The area is urban, tall concrete structures that lack the elegance of the city buildings. It must be cheap, but he doubts that she is having money trouble. It's hard to get a sense for her, there is very little in this place to give an indication of her personality. Her clothes are simple and plain, with some interesting t-shirts thrown in the mix.
Inuyasha goes to a payphone outside and calls the Monk. "Where are you?"
"One more bus. Should be there by tomorrow around noon."
"Ok. This is the address."
Rin was happy when she was putting on her dress, when she let Kagome play in her hair. She was happy when they all piled into the car together.
When Sesshou tells her where they're going, she becomes silent.
When Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and Rin arrive, there are cameras outside the facility. They must push past the press, past the pushy recorders and flashing lights and Kagome, without thinking, picks up Rin and pushes her face to her chest, keeping her face from being photographed.
"Don't say anything sweetheart."
Sesshoumaru places an arm around her shoulder to tug her along, the other hand helping her to keep Rin from falling. When they finally reach the safety of the indoors, Kagome puts down Rin and kisses her cheek.
"You did good."
The girl looks a little upset from the attention, but smooths a hand over her lilac dress and through her hair.
"Is he going to be asleep?"
Kagome shakes her head. "No. I saw him earlier. He was awake. If you want, I can wait with you out here."
Rin looks at her father, as if waiting for his approval. When he gives nothing away she turns back to Kagome, wide eyed, and nods. Sesshoumaru leaves to find Naraku's room, Kagome and Rin sit on one of the hall benches.
"I heard Sesshou say you could have been shot too?"
The words stun Kagome, almost horrify her. This is why she has been acting strangely, she's been thinking about Kagome getting shot. "I suppose I could have been. But I wasn't."
"Why would someone shoot you Kagome?"
There is no answer. "I don't know."
"What happens if-"
"Sweetie, I'm ok. I'm fine. And the cops are looking for who… did that bad thing. You don't have to worry." Kagome casts a nervous glance around and sees a backdoor. "Do you want to go for a walk? Outside?"
The girl looks a little mortified at the thought of going through the cameras again, but then she sees where Kagome is looking and nods. She kisses the girl's cheek again, tells her to alert her father that they will be leaving. As the girl skips away, Kagome goes to the door to see how chilly it is, she might have to give Ren her coat. She steps out, there is a slight breeze. It isn't bad, but she wishes they had brought a hat.
A shot hits the concrete beside her and she cannot make a noise. An instant later she is on the ground, another shot hitting where her head had been a moment later.
When she looks up there is black hair clouding her vision. When she can hear again, when the ringing is gone, she can hear screaming. Rin. RIN!
Kagome pushes the person from her body and runs to the door, tackling Rin beneath her body and pushing her further into the building, away from the door. She hears it shut behind her a moment later, but she doesn't look behind her, she is too focused on the person beneath her. Two hands grab her chubby face, forcing her to look at her.
"Rin! Rin, are you ok? Were you hit?"
The girl's lips tremble and tears spill from her eyes, but to Kagome's relief she shakes her head. She hold her close, feeling her tremble and shake against her chest.
"Baby, its ok. I'm here. It's ok, I'll keep you safe."
There is a thud somewhere behind her and this time she is alert, this time she turns to defend herself. Sesshoumaru is there, in his fist is a young woman's neck. She looks familiar, it takes Kagome a moment to recognize the young woman from this morning.
She saved me.
"Sesshoumaru stop! Let her go!" He turns to her, confused. "She saved me."
Sesshoumaru's hand unclenches from around her throat. She collapses to the floor, gasping for breath. He stands above her, poised to attack if she shows any aggression.
"Speak. What is your name?"
With weezing breathe the woman responds. "Sango."