I'm so so sorry to everyone who has been waiting for this update! I know it's a long time coming and I apologize for the delay. I've kind of tried to get my life together and had some things I needed to get done so this story took a backseat. If you've been on the site recently you've probably seen that I've started a new drabble story- take a look at it if you want. Also, I hope you enjoy this chapter- I enjoyed writing it. And now without further ado-here's Chapter 10!
"So, do you mind telling me what's up with you and Sesshomaru?" Sango asked as she helped Kagome clean the leftovers and put them in the fridge.
The party had wound down around nine and most of the guests had left, save for Miroku and Sango. Kagura had left early with Kanna, following their sister's early departure. While Kikyo's excuse was taking care of her baby, for Kagura it seemed as though being in her daughter's presence was overwhelming. Either way, it seemed the lady had unfortunately learned her lesson the hard way.
Kagome made sure that Sesshomaru and Miroku had left to take out the garbage before talking to Sango.
"He kissed me." She confided unable to hide it any longer. The women now thoroughly distracted struck up a lively conversation.
"And?" Sango sensed Kagome had more to say.
"I'm officially his girlfriend." Squeals were heard as the two girls hugged and one congratulated the other.
"Oh my god! I'm so happy for you Kagome!" The women in their happiness ignored the two men who had come back and watched the scene with interest. Rin who had heard the conversation while playing with the puppy abandoned all her attempts at play and ran to hug her godfather.
"Papa Sess, is Kagome really gonna be your girlfriend?" Rin didn't doubt Kagome but she needed her information from the source to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
'The cat's out of the bag' Sesshomaru mused catching the barreling Rin. He shot a look at Kagome who sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck and waited for him to answer Rin. By now even Miroku and Sango were curious about Sesshomaru's answer.
"Yes Rin." he finally stated alleviating the sudden tense atmosphere that had taken over the room. "Kagome is now my girlfriend."
The little girl's joy was practically tangible; it hung in the air around her and was seen in the way she started skipping and dancing around the room happily. For her, this was the possibly the bestest birthday wish.
While she missed her mother, Rin knew that someone had to be there for her when her mother was unavailable. She'd already gotten Sesshomaru to fill the role of a father and now wanted Kagome to fill the vacant role her mother had left. She knew that the best way to do this was to have Kagome move in with them but adults always took forever with that kind of stuff. She'd patiently wait, she decided, as the adults resumed their previous tasks. At least those two were taking a step in the right direction for now.
An hour later Rin was asleep in the guest bedroom and Kagome and Sesshomaru were alone for the night. He'd accepted her invitation to stay, once again being forced to sleep on the couch but not minding. Taking the glass of wine Kagome offered he relaxed into his "bed" for the night pulling Kagome closer to him once she'd sat down with her own glass.
"Today was nice." She stated leaning into him. Sesshomaru's touch right now seemed familiar and warm, relaxing her and letting her unwind.
"It was." He answered lightly sipping his drink and looking at the woman in his arms. He'd never thought of Kagome as the kind of person who'd end up dating him. Yet here she was. She fit all the qualifications he'd had for previous women: she was intelligent, knew certain classy things, and now with Rin around, he could clearly say she was perfect.
"Sesshomaru?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. Kagome had been nervous when he'd kept staring at her and was glad when he seemed to come back from his thoughts. Of course she hadn't expected him to speak shortly after.
"Are you free for lunch again on Wednesday?" He expertly finished his glass, setting it down on the top of the table in front of him as he waited for her response.
"I am or at least I should be. Miroku's bringing in new clients and I'm supposed to meet them next week. I'll try to leave Wednesday open but I can't tell you for sure until Monday if I'm free or not."
He nodded satisfied with her answer and idly playing with her hair. He would need to tell Ayame on Monday to keep his Wednesday lunch hour free. Seeing Kagome in the middle of a workweek made it just a little more bearable.
"What are you doing for the Golden Week?" Kagome asked setting her glass down on the table as well. She leaned her head on his shoulder pleased when he didn't push her away. Her now unoccupied right hand absently found his left hand and laced their fingers together. Golden Week had always been important to her family and just thinking of sharing one with Sesshomaru made her extremely giddy, even if it was two weeks away.
"Nothing much. Just spending it with Rin." He paused for a second before continuing. "Why do you ask?"
"Well I was wondering if you wanted to join us at the shrine. We usually have a tiny festival and I think Rin might like it." She silently hoped he said yes and rejoiced when his nod signaled just that. Snuggling into him again, she enjoyed his company until she had to go to bed.
Ten days later, Sesshomaru picked up his home phone grumbling about the unexpected interruption of his sleep. Barking out a hello he waited for the person on the other end to answer.
"Sesshomaru," Ayame's voice came out in a panic, "please turn on the channel to CNBC. Our stocks are taking a hit!"
He was awake within seconds and was doing as Ayame instructed. Soon the numbers and words on the screen started making sense and he began cursing.
Hakudoshi's firm was a United States company and he'd recently acquired a fifteen percent share of that company. The firm was doing shaky software development in the market and as he watched he grimaced. The shares prices for Hakudoshi's firm fell from $28 to $4.50. He'd bought 1500 shares in the company at $29 each- a total of $43,500. Now it had gone down to $6,750.
"Ayame, we need to do damage control now. How are our shares doing? Do you think by the time trading starts in the Asian markets we'll be able to recover?"
"All I know is that the board of directors is getting the information and that the other stakeholders will probably know the information by the time the markets open in the morning. You'll just have to reassure investors."
Sesshomaru scanned his mind for anything to help him out. His new smart phone was doing splendid in testing and the launch was scheduled for next week. Belatedely he knew what he had to do though he didn't want to do it. Releasing a product during Golden Week wasn't exactly the best thing to do. Customers would be more interested in the upcoming holiday than in any new gadgets. With a sigh, and mind unfortunately made up, he decided to do the only thing he could think of to keep his shares from plummeting.
"We're launching the new phone tomorrow. Get the press secretary and the marketing director in my office in two hours."
"Yes sir." Ayame hung up the phone to make her calls while Sesshomaru cursed. Rin was supposed to be at Kagome's later but now he had no choice. Picking up his phone again he called his girlfriend all the while cursing the stock market.
"Huh?" Kagome's voice sounded tired on the phone and she was. It was three something in the morning and she wanted sleep.
"Kagome, its Sesshomaru." Her mind woke up a little. She knew that her boyfriend wouldn't call unless he had something important to tell her. He especially wouldn't call her at three in the morning unless he really needed something.
"What's wrong?" She asked trying to sit up. Reaching for the water bottle on her bedside table she took a sip, (comma) the cold water succeeding in waking her up more.
"I have to go into work early. The American markets have downgraded Hakudoshi's firm and I need to go in and take care of it." He sounded stressed and agitated. Even if she didn't understand what he was saying she knew what he was asking.
"Bring her over." Sesshomaru knew she wasn't fully coherent yet but that she had agreed to help him. Starting today Kagome had a one-week vacation and she was excited about it. He hated to not let her enjoy her time off but he needed her help now. Thanking her he hung up the phone and then began to get ready for the day.
It was a half-hour later that a tired Sesshomaru stood in front of her door with a sleeping Rin in his arms. She gently led him to the guest bedroom where he put the child down and wordlessly handed him a thermos filled with hot coffee. He took it and then walked to the door with her. Before he left, he spoke to her again.
"Thank you Kagome. I really am sorry about this." She smiled and waved his comment off. He nodded, then hesitated, and finally leaned down to give her a kiss. When they broke apart he smiled. It was short but it felt right to kiss her so early in the morning as he headed to work. In fact, it made the job he was going to do for the day seem just a little bit easier to get done.
"Have a good day." She whispered as Sesshomaru bid her goodbye and walked down the hall. Kagome swore she was never going to get used to his kisses. Smiling to herself, she closed the door and headed to her bedroom to catch a few more hours of sleep before she had to wake up and make breakfast.
"Kagome?" Rin asked edging carefully out of the room. She recognized it, having spent quite a few times at Kagome's house by now, but she didn't know why she was there. Did Papa Sess have to go into work early? She heard something in the kitchen and made her way there to see Kagome at the stove making pancakes.
"Kagome?" She asked again this time catching the attention of the woman. Kagome turned and saw Rin.
"Hey there. Sesshomaru had to go into work early this morning so he dropped you off. Do you want some pancakes?" Rin eagerly nodded as she walked up and tried to peer over the stove to look at them. Giggling, Kagome shooed her away instructing her to take a seat as she got the plates ready. A few minutes later the two of them were eating delicious pancakes covered in gooey chocolate syrup.
"What are we doing today?" Rin asked through mouthfuls. Kagome thought about it. What were they doing? After breakfast they'd probably take a shower and then eat lunch. Golden week was two days away but Kagome could always take Rin shopping for new kimono's to wear. Mind made up, she told the girl of her plans.
"After this, we are going to both take showers. Then we'll make lunch together." She emphasized together letting the girl know that she wanted her help. "And then we'll go shopping for some new kimonos to wear."
During lunch last Wednesday, Sesshomaru had mentioned that Rin had no new kimonos to wear for the holiday, something Kagome was sure to fix. He had also informed her that he'd like directions to her family's shrine. Kagome shouldn't have been so excited about it when he asked her, but she couldn't help it. Her family was important to her and she was glad to be able to share Sesshomaru with them.
"Do I have to wear a new one?" The question caught Kagome by surprise and brought her out of her thoughts about clothes. Rin didn't want a new kimono?
"No, but I just thought…" She was lost on what to say and it seemed Rin had picked it up because she spoke again to alleviate her fears.
"I was hoping I could wear one of yours." Rin silently picked at the remains of the pancake on her plate and Kagome could only watch and try not to tear up at the statement. She hadn't expected Rin to be so humble about it all. With a smile she answered the girl.
"Alright, how about this? I'll call my mother and we'll help her make lunch. Then afterwards we'll go through boxes until we find the perfect kimono okay?"
"Yes!" Rin exclaimed throwing her hands in the air! "When can we go? When can we go?" Laughing, Kagome reached for her phone and dialed her mother's phone.
"Let's see."
Rin was so happy that Kagome had agreed with her. Before her daddy had left, Rin had often played dress-up with her mother and her mother had shown her some old clothes from when she was little that they dressed Rin up in. Those were some of her favorite memories and she couldn't wait to create more of that sort with Kagome.
Later that afternoon, Rin and Kagome were poring over boxes of old clothes while Mrs. Higurashi looked on fondly. She remembered doing this with Kagome years ago, albeit differently. Kagome had been looking over kimonos in the store they had visited and until she found the perfect one she wasn't going to let her mother leave. Now seeing this, it made her smile just a bit more.
"Look!" Rin tugged on a yellow kimono patterned with white, blue, and fuschia flowers. Mrs. Higurashi stifled a gasp at seeing it. That was the first ever kimono Kagome had bought for herself. She still had the picture somewhere of a little Kagome wearing it and smiling with her front teeth missing. Shaking off the memories, she approached the two and pulled out the kimono, dusting it off when it was out of the box.
"It's so pretty. Can I really wear it?" Kagome indulged the little girl with a hug.
"Of course. You can wear whichever one you want." Rin hugged her and then promptly threw herself around Mrs. Higurashi.
"Thanks grandma!" The statement shocked the elder woman but she appreciated it nonetheless. Patting her on the head, she grabbed the kimono's matching obi.
"Why don't we try it on dear?" She shot a look at her daughter and said daughter grudgingly began packing up the leftover kimonos. As Kagome was packing things away she came across a cotton yukata from her childhood. It was a checkered yellow, orange, and green yukata that she had liked to wear during the summer. Taking it out, she placed it to the side for Rin and put the rest of the clothes away. Something told her Rin might like this one.
When Sesshomaru stopped by the shrine later he was greeted by a grinning and yukata-clad Rin. The sight shocked him as much as the location did. He had been surprised when Kagome had invited him over for dinner at the shrine but had told her he'd come. Now to see his goddaughter so happy and running around in traditional clothes made his smile soften.
"Hello Rin. You look rather pretty today."
"Do you really think so? Kagome said I could pick out anyone that I wanted!"
He nodded, suddenly understanding why he was there at the shrine and feeling utterly grateful for Kagome's generosity. Rin needed some kind of motherly or otherwise female interaction and this was one way to achieve this. By accepting her in this way, Kagome was doing her fair share of the job. Now it was up on him to pick up the slack. He grimaced as he thought of the upcoming two days. It was only when golden week started that he could spend time with Rin. He'd have to apologize to her soon.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome's voice rang out as she approached the two. With a smile, she shooed the two of them inside.
Sesshomaru immediately felt as though he'd been transported into another world. He heard male voices in the living room, and laughter in the kitchen where he could clearly smell dinner being made. Rin immediately raced towards the kitchen when they entered with a yell of "Grandma" accompanying her making Sesshomaru raise his eyebrow in surprise.
"I hope you don't mind. She wasn't sure of what to call her and I suggested that."
"No, it's fine." He placed his laptop bag down on the floor and promptly tugged her closer before depositing a chaste kiss on her lips. "Thank you." Kagome blushed but shook the gratitude away.
"Rin's a joy to be around. I'm glad to spend time with her." Taking his hand and the bag, she led him to the living room. Sesshomaru recognized Souta Higurashi and his son Shippo from the birthday party last week but the elderly man next to them was someone he hadn't met before. Kagome placed his bag in a discrete corner of the room, where the children wouldn't touch it before making introductions.
"Sesshomaru this is my ji-chan. Ji-chan this is my boyfriend Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru bowed to the man and was acknowledged with a nod. He shuffled not quite sure on what to do when Kagome took his hand and lead him away again, this time to the kitchen. Rin was helping Shippo's mother in making riceballs and an elderly lady was standing by the stove making a type of stir-fry.
"Mama," Kagome called prompting the woman to turn around, "can you spare a minute?" Her mother nodded, turning the stove to a low setting and greeting the two.
"Sesshomaru this is my mother. Mother, this is my boyfriend Sesshomaru. He's Rin's godfather." Mrs. Higurashi gave him a warm smile and embraced him in a hug which he awkwardly returned.
"It's nice to meet you Sesshomaru. I hope you're staying for dinner?"
"Yes, I am Mrs. Higurashi." She nodded content with the answer before shooing the pair out of the kitchen.
"Kagome why don't you take him on a tour of the shrine grounds, I'll call you two in when dinner's ready." With a nod, Kagome made to do just that. She was really grateful for the way her family seemed to accept Sesshomaru so easily. And he didn't seem to feel out of place either, or if he did, she couldn't sense it. She led him out the door, taking in the nice late April weather.
"That's the god tree."
She announced leading him to it. Kagome gently touched the bark and reverently ran her hands over it. She recalled the memories of her childhood playing on and under it. She'd gotten her first kiss under this tree, broken her first bone when she fell out and broke her arm, and realized her goal in life as she lay there contemplating one night in high school.
"Hn." He recalled her talking about it before. This was her favorite spot on the entire shrine and he recalled some of the stories behind it. Sesshomaru joined her and regarded the tree. The tree provided a nice amount of shade from the evening sunlight and he felt the leaves shake slowly in a breeze. Perhaps he'd help Kagome make more memories here.
"Let me show you the old well." She took his hand and led him again and he was obliged to follow. Kagome led him to a tiny shed and struggled to open the door. Gently nudging her aside, Sesshomaru opened the door for her and she took him inside. "I fell down here when I was fifteen. Buyo fell in and I tried to get him out but I slipped coming back up the well and I sprained my ankle." She huffed a little at that and he chuckled at her tone.
Kagome turned to him surprised to hear his laugh but liking it nonetheless as she heard it. Looking at the well again, she let out a little scoff. In retrospect, she probably should have been more careful about it all huh? Still, looking at Sesshomaru, she was glad to share these memories with him and felt a little more connected with him as she did so.
"I'll have to be careful around you then won't I?" He asked leading her out of the well house by placing his hand on her back. It was kind of stuffy and dark inside and he much rather preferred to be outside when it became dark out. She allowed him to lead them out and then took him back into the house.
"Kagome!" Her brother yelled when he saw them. "You think you can keep Shippo tonight?" Kagome was confused but nodded her head wondering what her brother wanted. Souta seemed to sense her confusion as he answered her albeit a little shyly.
"Ayame isn't feeling so well and we kind of want a night to think about it." Kagome squeaked and then promptly rushed forward to hug her brother. She knew that he and Ayame had been talking about giving Shippo a little sibling so she hoped that the veiled response he'd given her indicated just that. She whispered hurried congratulations and then ran into the kitchen to congratulate her sister-in-law.
Later that night, Sesshomaru drove her home, deciding that it would be better if she left her car at the shrine since he was probably going to drive them there in the morning. She led all four of them upstairs to her apartment. Shippo and Rin were quite tuckered out already so she ushered them into the guest bedroom and promptly told them to get ready for bed seeing as how Rin's clothes were still there from the morning.
"Would you like something to drink?" She asked casually as they sat down and relaxed on the couch. He shook his head negatively and then threw an arm around her dragging her closer to him. They relaxed like that for a while and enjoyed the companionable silence lost in their own thoughts. Kagome slowly entwined their hands together and watched as his aristocratic piano fingers engulfed her shrine-maiden ones. She'd always thought her hands were pretty but looking at them now they paled in comparison.
"I won't be free till the 3rd." Sesshomaru announced forcing her to stop comparing their fingers. She looked up at him, silently asking why. He'd never explained to her why he'd dropped Rin off so early either now that she thought about it.
He regarded Kagome as she looked up at him with all the inquisitiveness of someone Rin's age. Shaking his head at her, he gave their shared hands a squeeze before answering her questions. Sometimes he wondered if it was right to feel at ease with her and launch into this relationship. Wasn't it just a few months ago that he'd thought of her as an annoying woman who he'd rather have out of his life than in it?
"The merger with Hakudoshi's company fell through a little." That was a little inaccurate but he figured Kagome could be spared the details. "We decided earlier today to launch our new phone a week earlier than planned and so I'll be busy with those preparations."
Kagome thought about the timing. Golden Week meant that the 29th of April- two days away- would be a holiday as would May 3rd through the 5th. So he was going to launch right in the middle. She knew little about business but something told her this was risky. And yet, she felt confident that Sesshomaru wouldn't fail.
"You should have offered some prayers for good luck at the shrine."
"Hn." He shook the words off. "Maybe I was hoping someone else would do it for me."
The words touched Kagome. It was one thing to know Sesshomaru was beginning to open up to her, it was another entirely to know he was trying to make this relationship work in some way. Unable to help it, she reached up and placed a quick kiss on his lips. She meant to pull away however but never got the chance to since Sesshomaru made sure to deepen it.
"Papa Sess?" Rin gingerly asked when she and Shippo had made it out of the bedroom. Shippo's response however was louder.
"Ew! Cooties!"
The older pair immediately broke apart, one embarrassed at having been found lip-locking with her boyfriend and the other inwardly seething at the interruption. They both turned their respective charges sheepishly and offered some form of reassurance.
"Rin, I believe it's time to go home." Rin pouted a little but marched up to Kagome and gave her a hug which the older woman heartily returned.
"Good night nee-chan." She then ambled back to Shippo and gave him a hug as well. "Good night Shippo-kun."
A few minutes later Rin and Sesshomaru stood outside her door. Rin had perked up a little when Sesshomaru reminded her that she was spending the next few days in Kagome's company. Shippo too seemed excited to note that his friend was going to be there to play with during the holidays. Leaning towards Kagome Sesshomaru gave her another quick kiss goodnight. He couldn't help himself and swore that kissing her had become like an addiction. Moments later, they walked down the hall and Kagome couldn't help but smile. They were an odd pair but one that she'd come to enjoy being around. Shutting the door, she ushered Shippo inside to get some sleep herself.
So what did you think? Leave a review and let me know!
Kaoruhana ^_^