Chapter Three

"Not all those who wander are lost."

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Okay, so she was in the wrong. Kagome had stayed past her welcome at 684 Concord, and that was against the rules. That didn't mean that her boss had the right to scare the ever-living shit out of her. So she felt justified in responding with a simple "Fuck off" when Miroku called. It didn't take too many of those before the calls stopped. This wasn't a shock to her; Kagome was just a cleaning lady at best.

The money would be missed. How the hell was she going to pay for college now? The only solace she had at the moment was it was winter break giving her a few weeks to figure all that out. Not that any place was hiring.

After a week and a half of searching and she was coming up empty. Newspaper in hand, she crossed another 'help wanted' off the list. "If they weren't looking for a student, then they should have put that in the ad!" Kagome thought bitterly to herself, the train swaying, full of people. So full it shouldn't feel weird when someone watched her. What made it strange was that it was constant. For several days now, she could feel eyes watching her. Every time she searched, Kagome found that no one was looking at her. It made the hairs rise on the back of her neck, but there was nothing she could do. It was all in her head anyway.

A break from searching, Kagome visited her mother, who was still comatose and fighting. If anything, that only pushed her more to not give up. Even when things looked dim, Souta and Grampa went home to set up the Christmas tree. It seemed pointless since they'd put it off in hopes their mom would be home for it. Unfortunately, that wasn't happening anytime soon, according to Mom's doctors.

Kagome continued her search, not stopping until the offices closed and the sunset. Taking her time, she enjoyed the colored lights on their block. Everyone else was so cheery, enjoying the holiday as they should. Things were just a little grayer at her house.

The lights from the tree twinkled on top of the Shrine steps, but three tall figures blocked the entrance before Kagome. A heavy sigh of frustration left Kagome as she took the final steps towards them. "Seriously? It's Christmas!" They said nothing on that, surrounding her quickly and silently. "Look, guys, I still don't know where my father is."

"Oh yeah? We think you do." The big one stated.

"Who's we?"

They looked around at one another and smirked, the shortest one snarling at her to show her his ugly teeth. "I'm sure your Daddy will tell you."

"My Daddy hasn't been home in years!"

Shortie rolled his eyes to his partners. "Maybe the boy knows something?"

Her blood boiled at the thought, and she jumped on the short one, digging her nails into his neck. "You leave him alone!" One of them pulled her off, but she wasn't done, kicking and screaming at them all now. "Don't you even LOOK at Souta!"

"See that?" Shortie growled, "Baby boy must know something."

"Dad left before Souta was born! He doesn't know anything! I don't know anything! Go look somewhere else because he isn't here, you dumbasses!"

That got her a backhanded slap across the cheek. It felt like her eye popped out for a second from the blow. Absentmindedly, she lifted her hand to her face and felt the heat from her cheek. While she was out of it from the shock, the men were doing… something. It didn't make sense because one hit the ground and the other was holding his arm. Looking closer, she could see what looked like blood oozing out between his fingers. On the cold ground, she watched them scramble away as if their lives depended on it. Which made her even more confused; she hadn't even touched them.

Gentler hands grabbed her, but she still fought them off. "Relax! I'm not going to hurt you."

She cringed, looking up into the shadowed face of her ex-boss, but let him help her to her feet. Once standing, he released her only to grab her chin and inspect her face.

"That's going to swell."

Waking up from her stupor, she jerked back from his touch but then struggled with basic thought processes like speaking. Her bag was flung away at some point, and he beat her to it when she tried to pick it up. Holding it out, she swiped it from him, grimacing as much as her puffy cheek would allow and not hurt. It was probably the first time she got a good look at his eyes. She knew she'd imagined it because they were far from red. They were gold. A beautiful, gentle…. annoying gold!

"You could say 'thank you', you know?"

"Fine, thank you," Kagome murmured back.

He didn't move, staring at her intently. "What did those guys want?"

She pressed her lips together as if to say, "I'm not telling," without words.

"Is that why you took such a sketchy job? Working in a house that didn't have an owner all so you could pay back some gambling debts? You look a little young for that; maybe you were a pro for them? Turning tricks, and you got tired of spreading your legs…."

"Oh my GOD, would you shut up?!" He snickered, happy to have won a little bit. "They're looking for my father, okay?"

"Your father? Is he not just up those steps?" Silent again, she watched understanding bloom on his face. "Ah. I can relate. They don't call them deadbeat for nothing…."

"Speaking of which, why are you here?"

The frown on his face told Kagome he got her segway loud and clear. And the dropping of his gaze to his feet told her he didn't want to say. "I.. miss you…."

He was whispering. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Could you speak up?"

"I miss your cooking, okay?"

He shouted it to her face but then turned to look anywhere else but at her. So he missed her smile, but Kagome was glad for that. "That's very nice, but it's not good enough."

He sighed, "what do you want? A raise?"

"That would be nice. But not enough."

"Then what!" He shouted, now back in her face.

Crossing her arms indignantly across her chest, she watched and waited for him to get it on his own. It didn't take nearly as long as she thought it would. Perhaps he wasn't a lost cause after all?

"Fine, I'm sorry, alright?"

"That's closer."

"You… weren't supposed to be there! That was the one rule I had, and you broke it so easily!"

"Easy?! I passed out in your damn bathroom! I didn't do it on purpose, you ass!"

His frustration with her had him growling. It reminded her of a dog that had its toy stolen. "What the fuck were you doing? Cleaning with the door closed?!"

How much should she tell this guy? This stranger that was now shouting at her on the street? "I was exhausted!"

"Why were you so damn tired?!"

"Because I'm dealing with a lot of shit right now?! My mother is in the hospital, my Grandpa is way too old to care for my little brother, and the scholarship I had for college is gone! There's school and work and bills, endless bills! And now I apparently will have thugs to fight off on the regular, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy what little bit of peace I have left this year, sitting around the damn Christmas tree and pretending the world isn't on FIRE!"

At some point during her rant, a few angry and frustrated tears leaked out. Instead of wasting time and energy wiping them, she planned to leave instead. But as soon as she took one step past her old boss, his arm shot out and wrapped around Kagome's waist, stopping her. "Yeah, I guess I can see why you came to work on my house."

A laugh choked out of her, mixed with more tears. A strange combination of chuckling, crying, and a little bit of snot she wiped away as quickly as possible, praying he didn't see. Kagome was a mess; there was no hiding that.

Pushing her back gently, he had her standing before him again, his golden stare holding her in place. "I'm sorry, I… overreacted to you last week. Please, return to work."

His hand was poised over her belly as if she would run at any second, away from him. But he had her pinned with his eyes, gold and amber swirling inside them. She had to force herself to look elsewhere for fear that her mouth would melt together and she'd never speak again.

Flicking her eyes upward, she took in the ratty hat on top of his head again. And then remember how she thought she saw ears instead. The ridiculousness of it hit her now, a small chuckle forcing free. Pulling back to his face before she fell into a full-on laughing fit, feeling truly foolish as it were, the confusion in his eyes and on his mouth nearly sent her over the edge as well. Shaking her head helped stop her mind and his, quickly calming and finding her voice.

"I'll be there on the 26th… with a raise, right?"

He smirked, and it was devilishly handsome. "If you cook?"

When she pulled up her hand to shake his, Kagome realized how close they were to one another. It was why she could smell his cologne; it was faint and manly and clean. His hand encompassed hers, making it feel so tiny. His gloves were gone. She didn't see it, but she felt it, his bare hand on hers. The first time and he doesn't wear them on such a cold night?

His skin was warm, though. Something pressed oddly to Kagome's wrist, but it didn't hurt or tickle. He had a few calluses on his palm, making her wonder how he got them but knew it wasn't her place to ask. Or to ask if he felt the same tingle she did, Kagome's hand in his and a shiver running up her arm to her chest. Combined with looking him in his eyes and she felt truly lost, lost to the moment and being close to her… boss.

Reality hit Kagome hard because with all her running around all day no way she smelled as good as he did -or looked anything but like a mess. She took a quick step back, dropping the hand she'd been shaking. That earned Kagome a concerned look, but he dropped it soon as if understanding the situation. Whether he understood it correctly or not, she didn't know.

"Right.. I'll see you then.." He said, clearing his throat, and even that was handsome.

He made his leave, turning like a robot or something, and she almost left too but then remembered something important. "Hey, Merry Christmas… wait… I don't even know your name?!"

Her boss stopped; it was as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. "...Inuyasha."

Well, that was one she hadn't heard for sure. "Merry Christmas, Inuyasha."

Hands in his pockets in place of his gloves, he turned his head towards his shoulder, not looking at her but sending his voice her way. "Merry Christmas, Kagome."

She was a little surprised he knew her name but then again, he did hire her. Miroku had to have told him. So yeah, it shouldn't shake Kagome that Inuyasha knew, and yet hearing him say her name had the same shiver running up her spine and into her chest again.

oOo

Kagome's Christmas wish came true; her mom was doing better. Not enough to go home or even wake up. But enough to breathe on her own, the tubes were removed and put away. It was a comforting sight; mom looked as if she were just sleeping again. Save for the knawing, knowing she was drowning in her fluids.

Souta and Gramps arrived early to relieve her, and she made her way to work. Unfortunately, she had more with her than usual, struggling as she pushed the door open using a combination of her elbows and hip.

But hands greeted her, taking bags from her to help her. "Thanks!"

"What is all this?!"

She was shocked; Inuyasha was the one helping her. Most of her interactions inside the house had been with Miroku. It was what she expected; either help from Miroku or none at all. It made her 'present' a little less of a surprise, but as Inuyasha dug a gloved hand into one of the bags he took from her, the cat was pretty much out of the bag.

"Cookies."

"Cookies?!" There was excitement to his tone that made her giggle.

"Christmas cookies."

He had one of the plastic containers out of the bag and open, shoving a tree-shaped sugar cookie into his wide mouth with the enthusiasm of a five-year-old. "Mmmmm…."

Kagome didn't know why or liked how her heart beat funny in her chest at Inuyasha's antics. It made her wonder if she had an arrhythmia. Instead, she focused on the gloves on his hands. They weren't for warmth; they were thick leather-like ones construction workers were. And the fingertips were 'tapped' with little metal thimbles. Just what the heck was Inuyasha doing that required such odd and hard-core protection on his hands? Kagome had studied a little about germaphobia, but the gloves seemed a bit extreme for that.

It was like Inuyasha was afraid of germs and damaging his nails.

She watched for a few more moments as he stuffed his face without shame, nibbling on a cookie herself before leaving him to get to work. Leaving the house, Kagome sprinted across the freezing yard to the small 'carriage' house behind the main house. It had a garage built into it now, but it didn't look right. Because this was designed to be a guest quarter for servants or something, it wasn't meant for modern vehicles.

It was also in worse shape than the house.

The wind picked up, and the building shifted, listing to the left and then back upright on its foundation when the breeze stopped. It had Kagome slowly backing out of the carriage house the way she came. Staring up at the tall building, she took in the chipped paint. It matched the main house.

"I bet the paint is the only thing keeping this place together," Kagome mumbled to herself.

She took a step but then the wind picked up, and the building moved in front of her eyes. So she hustled back inside; Inuyasha was about to head up the stairs, but he stopped and looked at her as she rushed back inside the house.

"Something wrong?"

"Uuuhhh…" Should Kagome tell Inuyasha his house was about to fall apart? "I think the other house is about to fall over."

He huffed. "Keh, I know the place is old, but it's lasted this long and…."

As he spoke, the wind picked up again, and a loud crash came from behind Kagome. She jumped (nearly on top of Inuyasha) as the sound of wood cracking and banging together filled the entire house. With a hold on his arm, Inuyasha tried to shrug her off; but she refused to let go. Kagome was sure the main house, the one they stood in, was going to fall next.

Inuyasha was moving towards the crash while she was trying to pull them to the front door. "Would you cut it out? The house isn't going to fall in or something! It was probably a limb from a tree…." He had dragged them to the back of the house and just as she suspected, a portion of the carriage house had fallen in. Right where she would have been if she'd stayed inside. "Well, I'll be damned…."

"It's a good thing I listen to my instincts instead of your mouth," Kagome murmured while unconsciously looking at Inuyasha's mouth.

He frowned; his amber eyes danced around her face. "It only fell because... I hit it the other day."

Kagome snorted when the laugh she tried to contain got free. "You hit it? I'm sorry, but no way did you kicking the building or throwing a rock at the side of it cause THAT!"

"Did I say I did either of those things?!"

"You strike me as the type to have temper tantrums…."

"Excuse me?!"

Inuyasha was pissed, but she was laughing. "You did chase me out because I stayed past dark."

"You know what, I just remembered. You never apologized for that!"

He was serious, so now she glared back at him. "Apologize for what?!"

"For breaking the rule; the one rule I have!"

"Why do you have that rule anyway? Who wants to stay here after dark? Except you!"

"I didn't hear an apology…."

She threw up her hands and turned away. "God, you're annoying!"

"Me?! You sing and dance all damn day, then complain when the house shifts a little in the wind! It's a wonder why you're here at all!"

Spinning on her toe, Kagome walked backward while speaking to her 'boss'. "Simple. I need the money."

"Clearly."

Stopping, Inuyasha stopped too and looked up at her from the ground. "You could always fire me if I bother you so much?" He dropped his gaze back to the ground and mumbled, "I didn't say that". "You like to mumble, don't you?"

"I said," he yelled but then took a deep breath to calm back down, "I don't… mind having you here. That's all."

"Cool."

A grin slipped upon his face, and she turned from the sight. It made her heart dance again in a stupid way. Stupid, stupid, stupid heart; she needed to get away from him and back to work.

oOo

"Would it be better if I wore gloves?"

Inuyasha dropped his fork loudly to his plate and looked up at Kagome with a baleful stare. "Why the hell would you wear gloves?"

She pointed to one of his as he sat across from her. Since her return to 684 Concord, her 'boss' had lunch with her regularly. Or dinner, depending on when she was there. "So you don't have to all the time? I thought you had a thing about germs or something?"

"How is a pre-med major so wrong about something like this?"

Now she dropped her fork. "How did you know that?" Inuyasha was suddenly very interested in his plate as he pushed around his food. "Oooooohhh, I get it. You followed me!"

"Huh?"

"That day? When you showed up at the shrine?"

Inuyasha shrugged but then looked around at the kitchen they sat in. "Speaking of shrines. What are your plans for New Years' tomorrow?"

She pointed her fork at him, full of lettuce from her salad. "Don't think I don't know a dodge when I hear one… but I'll be at my family's shrine helping out. So I won't be coming that day, sorry."

"Glad I asked…" he said with a groan, "you don't treat this like the job it is, you know?"

Kagome looked between them. Her 'boss' was sitting and eating lunch with her. The lunch she cooked for them. So yeah, it didn't feel much like a job at all. "It's not what I'd call typical."

Inuyasha shoved himself back, his chair loud on the floor to the point it hurt her ears. "I guess Miroku put you up to this? How much did he tell you?"

"Huh?" How quickly everything turned. Was this just how Inuyasha worked? One minute, they were having a pleasant conversation and fighting the next. "Miroku was the one who hired me, but he didn't exactly prepare me properly from the start…."

Grabbing his plate, Inuyasha stood up to leave. He had yet to look at her since pushing away from the table. "Feh, I get it. I have a lot of work to do. And so do you…."

Left alone, Kagome lost her appetite and decided to put her focus on work. So she could 'clock out' early and get as far as she could from the most confusing man she'd ever met.