Standard disclaimer.

A/N: funny thing, my last chap was so short I added words to make it longer. While this one, my 10th chap btw..woohoo.. went overboard. I have to cut out some words…sighhh…hope you all can get through it w/o trouble.

Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Outlandish Visit

The weather was great. The sky was blue. The summer breeze was soothingly warm to the skin. It was perfect.

Except for the storm of confusion and mixed emotions clouding inside of him.

Except for the grumbling thunder and flashing lightning fighting inside of him.

Sesshoumaru was a proud man; too proud to even admit he was having such a dilemma for the first time in his life. Problems he was used to face dealt with business, a family crisis, or academics when he was still in school. He never once faced a dilemma involving the matters of the heart.

When he met Koura, they were both young yet already wise. They knew they were a perfect match for each other, especially with their status and goals in life. It was as if they were fit to complete each other. In a lame man's term, they just clicked. There was no long courtships or getting-to-know dates. Somehow, the two grew up tied to each other until one day Sesshoumaru proposed to finally legalize the bond. Romantic, wasn't it?

Hardly.

Sesshoumaru never believed in romance.

He had been with other women during his university years, but never were the relationships serious. At the end of it all, Sesshoumaru would end up back to Koura; and she would end up back to Sesshoumaru. That was how their relationship worked. He could honestly say he loved Koura. She would always own a piece of his heart, but never had she once made his heart beat wildly.

Few situations could make Sesshoumaru's heart beat wildly.

He was seven years old. He partially recalled how he stole a piece of ancient sword relic from his father's antique collection. He ran all the way to the garden and played with it. As his hands touched the hilt of the sword, his heart pounded like crazy from the excitement and the fear of being caught.

There was also the time he felt his chest was near explosion. He was about seventeen. Though he tried hard to contain a calm, cool demeanour, losing his virginity made his heart beat like a loud drum heard all over the country.

Then there was that incident when he got into a scrap with his younger brother when he was twenty-one and Inuyasha was eighteen. Sesshoumaru had pushed Inuyasha, who was drunk at the time, to the limits. He never anticipated his younger brother to attack. His heart for a mere second felt like bursting as Inuyasha charged for him like a full demon in disguise. Both brothers ended up a little bruised.

Those were the only moments Sesshoumaru could say made his heart beat wildly.

And of course, now, the very moment he was sitting in his car outside Kagura's business location.

When he decided to give up contacting her, he did the most logical thing he could think of. He asked Yura, his secretary to look up the address of Jiyuu Trucking and Delivery Services. He decided to pay Kagura a visit.

Only, it looked like Yura gave him the wrong address. The place looked more like a residential home than a commercial place. Sesshoumaru stepped out of the car. Knowing Kagura's eccentricities, he should not be at all surprised at how she managed her business. He walked toward the main gate. Only then did he notice the sign posted. He noticed a petite girl sitting by the porch reading a book. She seemed oblivious to his presence. He quickly noted the appearance of the young lady. She had whitish hair, a shade of grey unlike Sesshoumaru's silver shade. She looked up from the book she was reading. Clear, pupil-less eyes pierced his gaze.

"Good afternoon," he greeted curtly with a slight nod of his head. "I'm looking for Kagura Jiyuu," he said in his business tone.

She stood up from her seat. She looked no younger than eighteen. "Are you here on business or a casual visit?" she asked with an impassive tone.

Sesshoumaru did not know how to respond to it. Well, if he 'visited' someone in their work, wouldn't that be considered a business visit? "Both," he answered, unfazed by the piercing gaze of the young lady in front of him.

"May I know your name, please?"

"Sesshoumaru Yuukan."

She gave a slight nod. "Come in please." She led him inside the house. Sesshoumaru was stunned at how Kagura's office looked like. The moment he stepped inside, it felt like he entered any normal household's living room. The young lady immediately discerned Sesshoumaru's reaction. "I'm Kanna. This is our house. Kagura's main office is actually at the side of the house. Have a seat, sir and wait here please," she said then turned to go.

Sesshoumaru frowned. He couldn't stand people like him – those who are devoid of emotions and expressions. He mentally noted Kanna, whoever she might be, was his female counterpart in character and personality. He was itching to roll his eyes at his foolish comparison.

Sesshoumaru remained standing by the doorway, hands in his pockets. Even at the very moment he still didn't know what to say to Kagura of the purpose of his visit. He heard faint footsteps approaching. He didn't turn around to face her. Let the woman talk first.

"My, my. You're a tall man," he heard someone, a woman, cooed behind him. Sesshoumaru instantly turned around. The voice was not familiar at all. "I'm Roze," the woman extended a hand to Sesshoumaru; he immediately shook it. "I'm Kagura's mother."

Sesshoumaru hoped his mouth was not hanging open. The woman's features faintly resembled Kagura's but that was just about it. Instead of black locks like Kagura, she had straight blonde hair hanging to her back. She looked somewhere in her mid-to-late forties. Her eyes were violet. She was a beautiful woman. "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Jiyuu," he acknowledged.

Roze giggled. "You're too formal; and I'm only a Ms. Jiyuu. I'm not married," she snickered. "Are you here to court my daughter?" she asked bluntly. "Believe you me, Kagura's hard to woo. You know how many times she rejected a suitor? None. That's because no one asks her out. She's a very intimidating young woman, isn't she?"

Sesshoumaru hardly had any time to respond. No wonder Kagura was a bit peculiar. "I'm only here to discuss business," he said lamely.

"Nonsense!" someone said from the other side of the room. Sesshoumaru turned to his left. An older woman with greying black hair and stern black eyes appeared. "You're the young man who took out my granddaughter for dinner last week, aren't you?"

Granddaughter? That is her grandmother, then. Sesshoumaru could actually detect her resemblance to Kagura, the more he observed the older woman. She looked more like Kagura's mother than her real mother.

"Oh, I'm being rude. I'm Bettie. You can call me Gran Bett. I'm Kagura's granny," she winked at Sesshoumaru. She walked toward Sesshoumaru and motioned him to sit down. Gran Bett actually took him by the arm, as if he needed assistance to sit down. She sat beside him. Roze took the seat in front of them.

The looks they were giving him were beginning to make him paranoid – which had never happened in Sesshoumaru's entire existence. Beneath the neutral expression he wore, his heart was pounding in his chest. He could hear every beat it made.

Both Roze and Gran Bettie sat staring at the handsome, young gentleman seated in their living room. The mother and daughter had already formed an impression about him; they had also jumped to conclusions as to the purpose of his visit.

The silence was broken when Roze called for Kanna. "Bring in some refreshments for our visitor, honey," Roze hollered, eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru's delicate face.

"So, tell me, how old are you?" Roze inquired.

An unusual question. He mentally frowned at it. He felt compelled to answer, though. "Thirty-one."

"A very suitable age for marriage," Kagura's mother commented, more to herself than to Sesshoumaru. "You do plan to marry Kagura, don't you?"

His throat itched. His fingers went numb. He was sure his eyes were twitching. Goodness. Thankfully, Kagura's grandmother saved him from answering.

"Roze, I think it's way too early to talk about marriage," she momentarily flickered her gaze to her daughter before returning to look at Sesshoumaru. "Yet," she added. Kanna arrived with the tray of food. She handed Sesshoumaru a glass of iced tea.

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru mumbled. He hated iced tea but he took a sip anyway. Where was Kagura when you needed her? "May I inquire where Kagura is?"

Roze laughed. Gran Bettie chuckled.

"My sister is not here at the moment," Kanna was the one who answered.

Sister? He did not expect that. Kanna bore no resemblance to Kagura. "Forgive me for taking too much of your time," he apologized. Sesshoumaru was about to stand up when Gran Bettie restrained him.

"Stay a little longer and talk to us," it was Roze who said it.

Sesshoumaru sat back, whole body rigid.

"Relax, my dear. We don't bite," Gran Bett patted him on the back.

"Not unless you want us to," snickered Roze in her strange, usual dry humour.

Sesshoumaru tensed up. He wasn't used to such company. Who knew the members of Kagura's family had varieties of distinct eccentricities in them. He mentally rolled his eyes. He should have known better. Kagura had all the craziness embedded in her. Where else could she have gotten it?

Roze noticed the look of tension in his face. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Blame it on my odd humour," she brushed the air in front of her, in a dismissal manner. "So, tell me, Sesshoumaru. What do you do?"

"He is the president and CEO of the Gold&Amber Inc., mom," Kanna interjected.

"Really? What's that?" Roze asked ignorantly. She just wasn't the type of person who had enough knowledge about business.

"They are the company producing the Herbal Sense shampoos, conditioner, soaps, and the like," supplied Gran Bettie.

A tiny 'o' formed in Roze's lips. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, remained silent, simply becoming a bystander who was listening a discussion about himself. The three women continued discussing 'about' him, apparently both Gran Bettie and Kanna knew many things about the Gold&Amber Inc. It shouldn't have been a surprise to him because Sesshoumaru was aware how his father made the company a powerful establishment.

"So, would it be possible for my daughter to get some free products?" Roze asked. "You know, since she's doing some delivering for you, and the fact that you're trying to win her affections?"

Sesshoumaru coughed slightly. His only hope was that his cheeks were not of crimson red like Kagura's eyes. Fortunately, he was saved by the one woman he wished had been present earlier.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Kagura's voice boomed.

Sesshoumaru's head turned to the direction of her voice; 'delighted' she had finally showed up.

"Kagura! That's not the right way to treat a suitor," Roze rose from her seat, pointing a finger at her daughter.

Kagura's brow arched up. She folded her arms. "Suitor? This man here is engaged, for heaven's sake!"

Three heads shot his way.

Sesshoumaru felt their gaze piercing through his skin. God! Why did he think of visiting Kagura in the first place? The phone call or chance encounter was much better.

"If you're engaged, why are you even asking my daughter out for a date?" Roze sent him a death glare.

Now, Sesshoumaru had received death glares before; but he was never fazed by it. But at the very moment, the formidable and fearless man was eyeing the exit.

Kagura's snort was loud enough to snap her mother's attention back to her. "Maybe he was here because he needed to discuss some business with me," she reasoned out logically. "Not because he wanted to ask me out!"

"He did say that in the first place," Gran Bett nodded her head, smiling at the amusing scene playing out in front of him. "Let's leave this two alone, Roze. Kanna, check on the oven for me please," Gran Bett motioned to the two. "Young man," she turned to Sesshoumaru. "You will stay here for lunch. Consider it a threatening request from an old woman," she chuckled before standing up and headed to the kitchen.

In less than a minute, Sesshoumaru was alone with Kagura in the living room. "Why are you here?" she asked again.

Sesshoumaru stood up. Finally the muscles in his legs began to loosen up. "I brought with me your claims over the damages of your truck," he simply said, finally remembering his 'reason' to see her.

"What?" she choked up.

"You were demanding payment for the damages. I told you I would personally see to it you'd get paid."

"But I actually confessed it was my fault, remember?"

Sesshoumaru gave a partial shrug. "You repaid that with the dinner," he simply answered. He handed the envelope to her. "I must say my goodbye now, Kagura," he slightly bowed his head.

"I told you to stay for lunch," someone shouted from the kitchen. It was Gran Bett.

"She still has good hearing," Kagura shrugged when Sesshoumaru gave her an inquiring look. "You can stay if you want. I really don't care."

"It's already lunchtime. I insist you stay and eat," Gran Bettie appeared once more. "Kagura, lead him to the dining room," she ordered to her granddaughter then disappeared once more.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. I can devise up a plan for your escape but my gran's real good at catching people disobeying her orders," Kagura rolled her eyes. "Follow me," she said.

Sesshoumaru could only nod and follow. What had he gotten himself into this time?

"Hello?" someone called out. Both Sesshoumaru and Kagura turned to find a man standing in the doorway. Sesshoumaru noticed how Kagura eyed the man with a poisonous look.

"Byakuya!" Roze's voice filtered through the air as she welcomed the visitor with open arms. The affectionate kiss the two shared was more than enough to determine what relationship Roze was having with him. "Love, this is Sesshoumaru. Kagura's friend," she introduced the two men, giving the word friend an extra stress. "Sesshoumaru, this is Byakuya, my boyfriend."

The two men acknowledged each other with a nod. Kagura tugged Sesshoumaru's arm, beckoning him to follow while cursing under her breath. It was obvious this Byakuya wasn't on Kagura's friends list. The two were barely entering the dining room when another voice called out. It was a boy in his late teens. Kagura hissed. "Dammit."

"Kanna, Ryo is here!" Roze hollered. She and Byakuya overtook Sesshoumaru and Kagura to the dining room.

"What the heck is this?" Kagura grumbled. "It's like all the circus freaks are suddenly showing up at our house!" She folded her arms then looked at Sesshoumaru. "No offence."

"None taken," Sesshoumaru slightly frowned. He followed Kagura where he motioned for him to seat.

Soon lunch was on the way after two more plates were added. Sesshoumaru and Kagura sat next to each other, facing Kanna and Ryo. Another chair was placed for Byakuya who sat next to Roze. Gran Bettie sat at the head of the table. She had a pleasant smile on her face.

"I just love having more people over for lunch," she exclaimed, clapping hands. "Dig in everybody," she motioned for everyone to start eating.

Kagura started handing Sesshoumaru every single dish on the table. He wanted to utter a simple protest as varieties of meat and vegetables began piling up his plate. He was a light-eater who preferred vegetables, but he was not a strict vegan. Still, he much preferred if his plate contained more greens than golden brown meat. But Kagura seemed to have other plan in mind.

Through the craziness of it all, Sesshoumaru realized how similar Kagura was to her family. Roze had even begun feeding her boyfriend like a little baby. Ironically, that was what Byakuya was – Roze's baby. He was only three years older than Kagura. Across from Sesshoumaru and Kagura were Kanna and her friend, Ryo. Both were the same age. Kanna's way was more subtle and subdued. She asked Ryo for things he wanted in a very shy and timid voice. Overall, it was outrageous.

"Byakuya and I have an announcement to make," Roze spoke up. No one seemed to notice, or rather everyone still continued on the various tasks they were doing.

"Pass me the roast, please," Gran Bettie asked the person who was nearest to it.

"I love your fried rice, Gran Bett," Ryo interjected in his cheerful voice.

"Sesshoumaru, the roast," Kagura said to him who was sitting stiffly.

"I'm pregnant!"

All at once, everyone paused, all eyes turned to Roze's direction. Gran Bett dropped the spoon on her plate. A fork was halfway to Ryo's mouth but never made it. Kanna let a surprised expression slipped off. Kagura's mouth was hanging open. Sesshoumaru set the dish he was holding down.

It was most unexpected news that didn't seat too comfortably to Kagura. Both sisters continued staring at their mother and her lover.

It was Ryo, strangely, who broke the silence. "You'll be a dad, man!"

"A new addition to our family!" Gran Bett proclaimed after recovering from the initial shock. "Let's have a toast!" she held up the glass of water.

Everyone joined in, even Sesshoumaru.

Except Kagura.

Her mood darkened. The news was most unexpected, indeed, and displeasing as well.

Sesshoumaru observed the woman sitting beside him. The room that fell into silence moments ago were lively once more, due to the constant chatter of Ryo, Gran Bett's lively voice, a few whispers from Kanna, and the cooings between Roze and Byakuya. Kagura, on the other hand, was silent as a predator in preparation for the kill of a prey. She was deadly silent, which Sesshoumaru thought was his main job in life.

She remained like that throughout the meal, much to Sesshoumaru's chagrin. He craved for her loud voice full of passion with each word uttered.

A/N: my totally whacked up brain ripped off the name Herbal Sense from the brand Herbal Essences. It's lame but hey! I'm not good at creating names.

should I add responses to reviewers? I should, eh… u guys are the reason this fic has 10 chaps.

EdxWinry, The Black Moon, Sioned (here's a quick update for all of you). Restria (thanks for thinking this is a beautiful fic). Psychobeautyqueen (love your username, and also thanks for loving this fic). Juliakaze (thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to incorporate it in the story but dontcha think it's ugly in toutousai's part if he put sessh in trouble after the man had just given his job back?) Inu-midoriko (I still don't like ch9. I wrote about three versions of that ch and still it wasn't that good. But thanks for the appreciation you showed. You the best!) Kawaii cherry (yes that was bad luck that they weren't able to call each other. But hey! It led to Sesshy's visit to Kagura's house.) QT (you've been such a supporter of this fic, and my other one. Thank you so much. And yes, hilarity is a word!)

(extended note to kawaii cherry) Quick note about OOCness: I promise to make characters stick to their canon personality; but we all have to agree that in an AU fic, it's hard to keep Sessh, (and Kanna as well) devoid of all human emotions. one or twice in chapter some OOCness will slip off. hope that's ok. But let me know if any of them were being subjected to extreme OOCness. I'll sue myself if that happens. Heehee.