"Hello," Kagome nervously approached the front desk of YANA Corp., "I'm here to see Taisho Sesshou." She had come by after school the next day, like she promised. Dressed in her school uniform, she felt a little out of place, like a kid who wandered into unknown territory.
"Name?" The receptionist didn't bother to look up, pressing multiple buttons on the desk phone to put callers on hold.
"Higurashi Kagome." She fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously. When the receptionist didn't say anything, she added, "If it helps, I'm here about a dress fitting?"
"Take a seat, Miss Higurashi," The receptionist gave the young woman a cursory glance with the laziest smile she could muster, appearing more snide than kind. "Someone will be right with you."
"No need!" A short woman with black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a fitted pencil skirt and sleeveless baby pink blouse with low heels emerged from behind glass double doors. Kagome barely had time to turn towards the chairs before the woman approached. "Lady Kagome," The woman took both the girl's hands, "It's a pleasure to meet you, finally."
"Uh," Kagome didn't want to be rude, "You too?"
"My apologies," The woman smiled brightly, and Kagome openly gawked at how beautiful the woman was. Her eyes were the purest blue, like an ocean on a perfect summer day, and her lips were thin, but the bow was pronounced, drawing more attention to her ski slope nose. "I'm just so excited to meet you. My name is Kozima Genko," Her smile only brightened, appearing proud of her origins, "Shippou's wife."
"Genko!" Kagome gasped, her eyes lighting up with recognition, "Oh, I've been dying to meet you! Shippou said you were busy in America!"
"In France, too!" Genko giggled, their excitement rubbing off on one another. "So, what do you say we get you into some dresses?"
"Oh, did Sesshou put you up to this?" Kagome asked as they both headed through the glass double doors and then into a glass elevator.
"Yes, but," Genko pushed for the fourteenth floor, "I volunteered the first two times."
"Hm?" Kagome tilted her head in confusion. They rose slowly, and every floor they passed, the further they pulled away from the lobby, which she realized was decorated with fountains in the pattern of Sesshou's family crest. How clever, she thought.
"Your dresses?" Genko asked, "I picked them out. Well, I should say I picked out options and then your mother picked the first one."
"She did what?" The younger girl's eyes bulged. Kagome recalled the white dress. It had been backless and form fitting, short, but not scandalously so. The dress didn't seem like the kind of thing her mother would allow her to wear, much less choose for her to wear.
"Based off of that first choice I figured your style was sleek, but now after meeting you, I think your mother may have had alternative motives!" Genko laughed, and it reminded Kagome of Shippou, in that they both sounded mischievous, too thrilled by the trouble caused. True foxes, they were.
"Wait, alternative motives?" Kagome's thoughts redirected when she realized what Genko had said.
"Oh, nothing," Genko waved the girl's worries away. The elevator doors opened just in time for both their attention to be drawn elsewhere. "Now come, we have dresses to try on."
Entering another lobby, there were three doors on each side and one just behind the round receptionist desk. Just like the first floor, nearly everything was glass. Both walls on the left and right were glass, with glass doors, but the far wall across from the elevator was an opaque glass with clear glass symbols of Sesshou's crest. Beyond that glass door, a darker wall was seen, but nothing else. Kagome wondered if it was his office.
"Okay, follow me," Genko linked arms with the teen and began towards the first door on the left. "We have a few selections based off what I thought you might like, so we might have to hit the drawing board again. Let me know if you really don't like what we have."
"Is that Sesshou's office?" Kagome asked, just before they entered the next room.
"One of them, yes. Think of it more as his studio apartment slash office." Genko brought Kagome through a large office with many plush chairs. The whole room was decorated white with red and pink accents. It was very modern and feminine. "You know he works late. Poor guy is gonna work himself to death." Along the far wall that had a floor to ceiling window that overlooked the garden courtyard, there was a dressing rack with a number of dresses, and to the right, at the back, was another door, but this one was white. "Okay, so," Genko released her new friend and gestured to the rack of dresses, "You are going to pick your favorites and head into the bathroom there," She pointed to the white door, "And then come out and show me each one. I have to see how they fit and get some measurements. The short dresses are a bit easier to guess on, but I wasn't sure about your height, so we can fix that when you come out."
"Alright," Kagome nervously perused her options, noticing how all of them were the same deep red that the firerat robes were. She wouldn't let herself feel negatively today. Today was about preparing for a gala, one that brought demons together to continue to build sanctuary for demons and emersion into a world they had fought to blend into without harm. She would contribute to emerging. She would wear any one of the red dresses if it meant standing alongside Sesshou to make her country, and even the world a better place to live. "I'll try these on." She grabbed three at random and strode into the bathroom with purpose.
When she emerged, she was nearly drowning in the full ball gown. The princess skirt was wide and for someone as clumsy as she was, she was certain she would fall over repeatedly and make a fool of herself. However, the plunging neckline was flattered, with thin halter straps that tied into a thin bow around her neck that tickled her bare back.
"While I think this dress is gorgeous, I'm not sure you feel quite the same." Genko observed the way Kagome lifted handfuls of the dress to exit the bathroom, coming off unlady-like. "Maybe another?"
"Yeah, I think so," Kagome didn't feel disheartened, but determined, "I'll be right back."
This time when she exited the bathroom, she took baby steps in the fitted mermaid dress, holding the top half close to her chest. It was strapless and the deep plunge afforded her no security, except in how tightly it clung to her body. Glitter from the top half rubbed off onto her arms in an irritating way, and the skirt was tight enough that she felt restricted in her movements.
"Like I said, we might have to hit the drawing board. I assumed you were more sleek and sexy." Genko gave an apologetic smile, "Try the last one on. That one was my personal favorite. I was inspired when I was last in France and had my assistant spearhead the design."
Kagome hobbled back into the dressing room and stripped the sexy dress off, feeling like she could breathe again once the damned thing was back on it's hanger. Opening the third dress bag, Kagome was in awe. While the dress was sleek, and certainly had aspects that were sexy, it was more chic and breathable. She slipped it on with ease and tied the thick waist bow into a slipknot. The tails of the bow flowed like water. Both sleeves came to the wrist, and cuffed tightly there, but the whole sleeve was billowy and loose, like a pirate's shirt. The top of the dress reminded her more of Inuyasha's firerat robes, but she disregarded those thoughts. The front crossed over like a kimono, but the plunge stopped just below her breasts. She took a few chance steps to test her clumsiness, but found that the slit up one leg opened enough for the part to allow her feet to move unhindered.
Exiting the bathroom, Genko gasped.
"This is the one." Kagome's smile was infectious, and the fox demon couldn't resist the grin that overtook her expression.
"So it is." Sesshou called from across the room.