A.N. So pumped to get this out! I had total SB inspiration this weekend, though I've hit a road block with Captivated Amber. To those interested in whether Sesshoumaru gets his apron back, just keep reading. Though I think Kouga's jacket is going to stay in Kagome's custody for a bit longer. And about the note that Sesshoumaru wrote, the last line would have told Kagome that he would be home early. Thank you all for reviewing!!
IMPORTANT: I have up to chapter 25 written. I'll update immediately after every 20 reviews (to give time for second editing). So review please.
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Simply Business
(Tsuki)
Chapter Twenty-One
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(Tsuki)
Kagome drove back to Sesshoumaru's house after her talk with Kaede. She arrived to find the driveway empty, so she took a seat on the porch. Not unlike the actions of a certain blue eyed male some hours before….
"Now, tell Kaede what's wrong, child."
Kagome looked up at the woman and sighed, "I don't even know where to start."
Though, that was not exactly true.
What just happened with Kouga was bothering her. He had kissed her and she hadn't felt a thing. Surely she had not expected fireworks or anything of the sort. Yet, wasn't her heart supposed to be pounding at least? She liked him, right? Why was it then, that her body had been utterly calm?
When she mentioned this to the old woman, who sat there, thoughtfully listening to her, she had flushed a deep rouge color. Suddenly saying what she was thinking out loud made everything seem childish.
Kouga was certainly not the first person she ever kissed, but he was the first man that she every dated as an adult. All of her past teenage crushes and boyfriends, she chalked down as inconsequential. Teenagers didn't fall in love so she had never expected anything from her relationships then.
But what had happened before?
She looked up at Kaede and smiled, "But truthfully, I feel a lot better just being here." And as she said, she was being truthful. Chibi Pets calmed her. She never felt stressed inside the store.
Besides the people, that was one of the main things she missed.
Kaede stroked her hair. "You're always welcome here, child, you know that."
Kagome smiled, "I know. Thank you."
Maybe it had been the situation? There was nothing romantic about the setting. Maybe that was what was wrong?
She hugged the woman and as she did, Kaede whispered, "Relationships are not meant to be complicated, Kagome. Neither time nor logic should have no place where emotions are concerned."
And for some reason that had given her the answer. She knew why she kept closing herself off from Kouga.
Kagome closed her eyes as she waited. Her arms moved to wrap around herself, but exhaustion ceased the movement and she merely stayed still.
A part had been glad though that Kaede had not mentioned the word, 'love.' 'Emotions' was a broader term. It could mean anything.
Not necessarily, love. After all, she wasn't even sure if she knew what that even was.
Her eyes slowly drifted close.
All she knew was that whatever it was, it was enough to wear a girl out.
Her breathing slowed down…
And before she knew it she had drifted to sleep.
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(Tsuki)
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Sesshoumaru rubbed his temples one handedly. The other hand was tightly gripping the steering wheel of his car. Absolutely unacceptable.
Yet, how exactly to was he to address this….?
"Nine cavities, Shippou?" He decided on pure bluntness with his approach. "Do you not brush your teeth when I tell you to?" Rin, he knew, he did not have to check up on. Once he told her to get ready for bed, that girl would docilely comply.
The hellion on the other hand.
God only knew what that child was doing behind closed doors.
Shippou pouted, "I do brush my teeth, old man! But the mint's so gross! So I always eat something to get rid of the taste," he explained with a tone that implied that he believed the concept made perfect sense.
Sesshoumaru suddenly knew the direction that this was going. With a clenched jaw, he asked, "And what is it that you eat?"
"Candy!"
Where the hell was this kid getting candy?
He voiced the question out loud, glad that Rin was sound and quietly asleep or he would have felt a tad bit guilty for the language use.
Shippou chirped, "School, old man! My teacher is so cool—!"
Sesshoumaru zoned him out with a scowl and began calculating how he would approach this teacher of his. No child in his house would have nine cavities. How appalling…
His mind drifted to Sara.
And he had to wonder how exactly she had been raising the child. A smile drifted onto his face. "That girl…" he murmured.
And suddenly his eyes narrowed as he slowly worked his way into the driveway. "That girl," he said again in a louder, more berating tone. He quickly shut off the engine.
He unbuckled the girl in the passenger seat. "Rin…" he said gently to wake her up, before reaching over to open her door. "We are home."
He slid out of his seat and exited the car to open Shippou's door before he hurried up the porch steps.
How long had she been out there? She was still dressed the way she had left his house. Without a coat and on a chilly night like this no less! What was she even doing here to begin with?
The raven haired girl was hard to miss, contrasting starkly with the color of the porch, with pale colorless cheeks.
"Foolish idiot," he hissed, and dug for his keys. He hurriedly unlocked the front door, ignoring Rin and Shippou's surprised exclaims when they caught sight of the girl, in favor of picking up the petite girl.
He gestured for Rin and Shippou to enter before he pressed the locking device on his keying for the car and followed suit with Kagome strewn over his shoulder.
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(Tsuki)
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Kagome awoke in a somewhat familiar place.
"Shippou's bedroom?" She murmured huskily before she abruptly let out a body racking sneeze. "Ugh," she groaned, "I guess that's what I get for that bout of stupidity…I hope I don't get sick…"
She rubbed her neck and was surprised to still find Sesshoumaru's apron on. She laughed a bit and slid it off, "Why am I such a mess?"
Kagome rolled onto her side and her hand brushed against something fuzzy. She probed the object blindly trying to figure out what it was. Turning towards the unidentifiable object's direction, after a few futile seconds, she was shocked to see a teddy bear wearing a chic purple sun dress. A cute knit hat with slots for the ears had been placed over the head, and it was wearing a necklace.
'Is this supposed to be Sara?' The doll gave off the woman's…aura—for lack of a better way to describe it. It just felt like her.
"So this is why there've been no calls," she murmured, and a smile slipped onto her face. "I wonder if he made this," she gently fingered the material of the dress, knowing that it was cut from an actually article of clothing.
"No…Sara insisted on making it." Kagome started at the sound of the voice and her eyes darted to Sesshoumaru, who was leaning against the doorway of the room a small tray in hands. "After I called her last week, in fact, and mentioned what you said. I allowed Shippou to stay on the phone with her while she was sewing it and things have been relatively peaceful. I am not looking forward to seeing my phone bill, though."
Sesshoumaru walked up to the bed and Kagome could see that the tray held a cup of tea and a bowl of her soup, "Do I really seem like the sewing type?"
Kagome held up the dark toned apron as she sat up, "Well this had me guessing a little bit…" Again her body was wracked with another sneeze and she groaned.
Sesshoumaru sat down on the bed, a few inches away from thigh. He handed her the tray. "I want to see all of it gone. You falling ill to sheer stupidity on my property is unacceptable."
"Thank you," Kagome said softly as she took the tray and lifted the warm cup, realizing then that she felt a bit cold. She took a ginger sip and grimaced, "What is this, Mr. Taisho?"
'It's so bitter yet watery and sour…'
"Tea."
'How can he sound so matter-of-factly?! This tastes nothing remotely resembling tea.' Kagome placed the cup down with a shudder and picked up the bowl of the soup she had made. It was silent while she ate.
He was simply sitting there, staring at a nearby clock. Somehow he had managed to come back into possession of his apron and he was kneading the material with his fingers.
When Kagome had finished most of the soup and reluctantly downed all the dark nasty liquid that was posing as tea, Sesshoumaru took the tray from her and set it on the night stand.
"Now…What exactly were you doing tonight?"
Kagome flushed, "I-I…wanted to apologize so I came back here." She ran a hand through her hair, "About this afternoon, I never—"
Sesshoumaru briskly cut her off, "Some things I have been able to excuse since the children are noticeably fond of you, but others—today?" He scoffed, "That behavior was unacceptable. You completely disregarded my note—"
Kagome looked frustrated as she interjected, "There was no note, Mr. Taisho!"
The silver haired man continued heedlessly "Ignored your duties in favor of your boy—"
"You're mistaken! He is not my boyfriend! We went on one date; I stole his jacket then stood him up—"
"Unnecessary information. So I suggest you seriously listen and be quiet. I will not vie with you for control over this conversation." His cool tone pierced Kagome as he spoke and she instantly quieted. "From my point of view, you were unprofessional, no matter the reasons behind it. Your roommate is perhaps the only exception to you bringing strangers into this house. Rin had nothing but positive comments about her, so I tolerate her in this house. But to bring that questionable person here…" He looked at her with a frown. "When Rin is involved, I will not tolerate such—"
Kagome brought her knees to her chest, "I mess up a lot, Sesshoumaru…" The silver haired man was surprised to hear his name leave her lips and reluctantly paused to listen to her.
"I do things mostly without thinking and of course they always come back to bite me. But when I do actually think, I realize… I still don't know what I'm doing exactly." She let out a wry laugh and she reiterated, "I don't know why I'm doing things anymore. That's my life in a nutshell. I have a well paying job just waiting for me, but no one seems to support my choice, especially not the people I'm working for. Mom and Souta think it's unnecessary… Yet I ignore it all and I'm still trying for that job. I'm too scared to turn back since that's all I've thought about since graduating high school…Beyond setting my family up financially, I can't even fathom what I could possibly want. I thought I was head over heels for some stranger I met at a business dinner Sango took me too, but I keep trying to push him away because he actually likes me, which, mind you is probably a huge understatement…" Her eyes lowered, "however after graduation, I can't stay here. Could I ever tell him that? Sesshoumaru I haven't straightened out a lot of what's going on with me, obliviously, but I think there are two things that I know for certain… One is that I love Rin and Shippou—I love seeing them each day. Secondly," she paused and looked up at him.
He sat listening attentively and Kagome was a bit shocked. She had been rambling, really. Just saying what came to mind, trying to make him understand something that even she herself was not sure of.
Now, knowing that she had his attention though made her feel self conscious.
Sesshoumaru seemed to sense that, for he asked, with a slight tone of amusement, "And what is the second thing, Kagome?"
Her head pulsed when her name fell from her lips. Kagome looked at him and quickly looked away, realizing how unexpectedly close he was. She dropped her knees back down to the bed and had leaned towards him in her zealous rant, and now they were less than a foot apart.
She took in a deep breath before ignoring her pounding heart and saying in a composed tone, "That I will never do what I did this week ever again. You were right, I've been sloppy and I shouldn't make excuses. I don't want to lose this job."
Abruptly she knew it wasn't even for the paychecks that Sesshoumaru systematically mailed to her that she had yet to even open.
She just liked being in this house.
She liked playing with Rin, 'fighting' with Shippou, helping them with their homework, being the person to greet them when they came home almost everyday…
Kagome braved glancing at Sesshoumaru and a sudden thought entered her head.
And she liked seeing him almost everyday, too.
The silver haired man suddenly scowled and waved a dismissing hand, "I've seemed to have lost any will to argue." With a lofty tone, he continued, "As long as you agree that this will never occur again, I have no reason to feel aggravated. However a punishment is in order."
Kagome looked confused, "Punishment?"
"Yes. I have three terms. First off, Shippou was found to have had nine cavities." Kagome looked aghast and mouthed the number in shock. Sesshoumaru smirked warily and nodded, "You will be in charge of checking his room daily for candy and making confiscations. He is on sugar prohibition until the disappearance of every last one."
Kagome scrunched up her nose, "Poor kid. That's going to devastate him." Her eyes widened, "But what about on Halloween?"
It was Sesshoumaru's turn to show confusion, "The American holiday?"
Kagome nodded profusely. "Well, kind of. Have you ever heard of Onigumo?"
"What exactly is 'Onigumo,' pray tell?" He shifted positions on the side of the bed, so that he could get a better view of her.
Kagome gushed, "It's an amusement park that opens up the week of the thirty first on a farm on the outskirts of Tokyo. The owner creates the holiday on his land, but instead of going to different houses, he sets up booths where people in costumes give out candy. Souta and I go every year with Sango and Kohaku. I thought about asking you if I could go with Rin and Shippou also this year."
Sesshoumaru raised a brow, "I see…"
Kagome crossed her legs on the bed and said sheepishly, "But I'll understand if you don't want them to go."
"It's less that, than a matter of who would be chaperoning."
"Sango and I—"
"Both equally are not trusted with my children outside of this house."
Kagome rolled her eyes, "Then come along, Sesshoumaru! Though I should warn you, costumes are a requirement."
Sesshoumaru pierced her with a look, "No."
The raven haired girl snorted, "Then entrust Rin and Shippou to me for the night."
"You are pushing your luck considering that you are walking on thin ice with this employment."
She quieted, "Right," her eyes looked a bit downcast and Sesshoumaru was surprised that he somewhat regretted saying that. Kagome murmured in continuance, "We can talk about Onigumo later. What were the rest of your terms?"
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, "That after 8th, you keep that dog in your residence—"
Kagome blanched alarmed, "Y-You don't want her anymore?"
He scoffed, "Correction: I never wanted her to begin with. However, it is only until the 28th—my return date. I am leaving the country after the eighteenth with Rin and Shippou until then. The days prior, I will be in contact with my half-brother who is violently allergic to dogs."
Kagome nodded in understanding, "Okay, I see. That's relieving then."
Sesshoumaru smirked a bit and Kagome smiled, "So what's the last term?"
For the first time since Kagome had come to make his acquaintance, she was shocked to find the man…discomfited.
He averted her gaze and said in an authoritative voice that almost made her giggle considering the request. "You are to assist me in packing."
Kagome tried to keep a straight face. This guy was simply challenged in all domestic areas wasn't he? "Alright. I agree to all the terms of my punishment."
Sesshoumaru stood and took hold of the tray he had brought, "Good."
"But since you three are coming back so late, that doesn't give us that many days to go costume shopping. So keep in mind what you want to be!"
Sesshoumaru did not say anything in response. He knew if that girl was involved that he would undoubtedly end up in a costume. So there was a moment of a relatively comfortable silence that drifted between them, where they simply stared at one another.
Kagome suddenly smiled softly after awhile, "I really am sorry, Sesshoumaru."
A mischievous glint suddenly entered Sesshoumaru's eyes. "I really am very curious as to the reasoning behind this whole Sesshoumaru/Mr. Taisho debate."
Kagome blushed, "I don't know," she lied, "I just say whichever came to mind. There's no significance behind any of it!"
There was no way that she was going to divulge the fact that she had been wholly unable to utter his first name with out blushing profusely. After he had found out about her father, it was then that she realized that he was starting to be a personal factor in her life. Her cheeks flushed slightly, 'And that's definitely a road that I should avoid.' But calling him by his last name had done very little to make things more formal for her when it came to him…
She shook her head. Definitely no way that she would ever reveal that.
Sesshoumaru raised a brow with a disbelieving grunt, "I see."
He stood and Kagome felt a bit relieved. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll think I will leave you to your candy patrol."
Kagome gave a mock salute.
After he left, she smiled slightly. She probably didn't have to put any effort into putting distance in between her and Sesshoumaru, anyway.
Knowing him, he would undoubtedly keep this relationship strictly businesslike.
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(Tsuki)
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The days drifted by rapidly after that. Kagome and Sango made plans to accommodate Gome, and to a lesser extent, Kohaku and Souta for the week of Onigumo. In between work and the girls' classes, Mirouku was a frequent visitor also.
Something about his personality made Kagome grudgingly able to re-invite him back into her trust almost immediately. He just seemed to fit into the structure of her and Sango's lives as if he belonged there from the start.
And of course, Kouga called her almost every night.
But by Saturday the month was officially over. Sesshoumaru had asked her to work on the weekend since he would be at work overtime hours preparing for inspection and Rin and Shippou would need to be looked after and fed. Sango had a workshop scheduled for Saturday, anyway, so neither planned a trip back home. Rather than head to Kyoto, Kagome and Sango decided to merely call home.
As each looked at their calendars, though, they realized that they wouldn't be able to go home for awhile, in fact. The earliest they would be in Kyoto would probably be for Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri, since they promised their brothers that they would take them to watch the festivities. But preliminary testing, which preceded their official midterms, was coming up and Sango's hours at work had yet to straighten out, so that would undoubtedly be the first time they would see Kyoto.
The brunette had of course, gone back into work once things were straightened up with Mirouku. She apologized to Ryuu, and timidly asked for her job back. While her request had been very willingly granted, she still was required to complete requisite hours of training out of all fairness to policy. It was while waiting for her schedule that Sango had decided to take the time to head to the busiest section of the company and officially announce her relationship with Mirouku. Of course…whilst threatening to physically maim anyone who uttered a word of gossip about her.
Which meant she was heading into the first round of prelims, employed, dating, and without the worry of interoffice gossip.
But it was because she was heading into the first round of testing that by the time the sixth of October, the second day of MNU prelims rolled around, Sango was exhausted. Kagome too was suffering from the late night cramming, midnight binging, and all morning testing.
Sango grinned as she finally unlocked the door to their room and swung the door to their room open. She was dressed in a leisurely fashion. The girl had donned a navy university hoodie and a pair of white fleece yoga pants. A calculator, pen, and two pencils were in her free hands. "I was almost positive that I was going to fall asleep during that last test. Yohinora makes the most boring exams imaginable."
Kagome rolled her eyes as she stepped through the door, before closing it. "I know what you mean! I don't know how he can turn the Humanities into a snore-fest. It's almost criminal!" The girl was also dressed down that day, in a pair of light green sweat pants and a hoodie nearly identical to Sango's, only rather than blue it was a pastel yellow.
"Agreed," she yawned, "But at least it's the weekend. I know Monday is round two of exams but the first ones are always the worst, so I feel like I could tolerate anything."
Kagome grimaced as she tossed her things on the couch. "Let's hope so, 'cause I'm hearing that French is going to be impossible."
Sango groaned, "I forgot we had that! So maybe I overstated things." She let out a humorless laugh. "By the way, Kagome, are you heading over to Sesshoumaru's tonight? Mirouku wanted to take us out to help relieve some exam stress. And he couldn't have made the offer at a better time, it seems." Sango picked up Kagome's testing items and placed them neatly on the coffee table in front of the couch. She straightened up the area a little as she spoke.
Kagome for some reason felt suspicious, "Just us three? Wouldn't I be the third wheel or something?"
Sango smiled a bit apologetically, "Which is why he suggested that Kouga come along as well… Surprise?" Sango called out weakly.
Kagome sighed a bit, "I feel bad for avoiding him, but I—"
Sango took on a serious look. "I feel bad for Kouga, Kagome. Don't be afraid to like him. If you're holding back because of the fact that you're leaving come June, don't, Kagome…" she laughed wryly as her friend winced guiltily. "Kouga may come off as intense, but he's the type of person who likes to do everything with one hundred percent because he knows things won't last. So you're hurting him and yourself more by closing yourself off like this. Just enjoy things while they last."
Kagome smiled a bit, wondering how it was possible that someone able to make her feel so transparent could exist. "… I know you're right...." She left the sentence hanging a bit, but Sango did not prod her to continue. Instead, the brunette went into her room to look for her straightened, while calling, "So what do you want our plans to be?"
Kagome looked at the time. It was nearing one thirty. "Sesshoumaru said that he only wants me there to make lunch and warm up something for dinner. I'm allowed to leave afterwards, so maybe you can pick me up from there and we'll head out whenever Mirouku planned." She slipped off her shoes and went into her room to get changed.
"Okay, I'll tell him that." Sango suddenly giggled, "You know, I'm really curious… What exactly were they eating before you came along?"
Kagome joined in the laughter, "I'm sure you wouldn't even want to know…Sesshoumaru messed up tea, Sango. I think he's more than just culinary challenged."
Sango giggled, "Poor Rin-chan. I wonder how long she had to suffer with his cooking."
Kagome cocked her head to the side as she slipped out of the pajamas bottoms that she had worn to her exam. She furrowed her brows together. "What do you mean?"
A tan plaid skirt replaced her pants along with a pair of high brown leather boots.
Sango, in her room straightening her hair, which she had just placed into a damp mess of curls and waves after her shower that morning, laughed a bit. "Well she hasn't been with Sesshoumaru all of her life, right?"
Kagome felt confused as she slowly stopped buttoning up a salmon colored button-up shirt with slightly belled sleeves. "But she's his daughter."
Sango scoffed, "How old do you think he is, Kagome?"
In the back of head that registered, but the raven haired girl never really questioned the authenticity of the two's relationship considering he seemed to devote so much love to her. Kagome smiled and fibbed, "Just kidding, Sango."
Sango laughed, "You had me scared for a moment there. I was thinking of calling MNU and telling them to reevaluate your ranking."
Kagome giggled slightly and moved to grab her hair brush. 'Maybe she should,' Kagome thought, half seriously.
If asked if Sesshoumaru was Rin's biological father, Kagome would have said yes every time automatically. No one on earth could love that girl more than he did. Although Sesshoumaru had a very…unique way of showing his affection, the connection was still evident.
She smiled fondly, 'It's definitely that side of Sesshoumaru that is easy to like the most.'
Unfortunately Kagome did not process seemingly innocent statement that as a traitorous thought. It slipped past her defenses with an utterly nonchalant air.
What made it unfortunate was that traitorous thoughts never did like to appear alone.
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(Tsuki)
A.N. I am so excited for this segment of SB. Like you have no idea. I have had tons of pieces of chapters (about 30 word pages) written and sitting on my computer for about a year and it was just getting there that was the problem. So we've finally gotten there.
BTW. SB is taking place in 2006, since I was hoping that was when I would end it, but clearly that didn't happen. However, since I had the dates already set up, I was just like fuck it, I'm keeping this. For all those commenting on the SxK slow development, I apologize. When I first began SB, my chapters were a lot shorter, which was a total mistake. So instead of 21 I should still be in the teens. But C'est la vie. I definitely think when I finish I'll go in and do edits on this.
R&R