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Edited: 7/8/2011
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Dashed Hopes
Chapter Four: An Old Ally
As the car pulled onto a long winding road, Kagome leaned her forehead against the window to get a closer look at the passing scenery. Set apart between vast expanses of land were enormous mansions. They could practically be described as castles, which proved just how large they were. Sango turned her car onto a driveway near the end of the lane, which ended abruptly at a large, sparkling blue lake instead of joining another road. Kagome gasped as they drove up the slight incline of concrete. The grass was still a perfect emerald green and very lush, despite the descending autumn chill. Sakura trees lined the road like beautiful guards. The driveway curved back into itself to make a circle at the foot of the house with an island of land in the center, an ancient tree set in the middle of it.
The mansion itself was too impressive to fully describe. It had four floors, not counting the basement or the attic. It was made of a stone that was a creamy white and decorated with red accents. Every window on the top three floors had a beautiful, small balcony leading off of it. Four large pillars stood out front, two on each side of the door, and they stretched to the third floor, creating a shaded entryway. Between the base of the pillars and the door was a veranda where guests could sit out and chat while sitting on beautiful white wicker furniture. Sango's home was, to put it simply, huge. The roof tapered off into a pointed triangle, very Western inspired.
It was surrounded on every side but the front by a grove of tall trees. Out front were rose bushes, which would have white and red blossoms when the flowers were in bloom. Beyond that were rolling hills that stretched out several acres to the foot of a massive forest that covered the land behind all of the houses in this part of the country.
If Kagome squinted she could see the tennis courts in the distance.
They were far outside Tokyo; Kagome hadn't realized that until now. The shelter had been near the edge of the city, so they hadn't had to travel too far to get there. Despite the relatively short, half-hour drive, it was as though they were in a different world.
"Wow," she breathed. The boys nodded their heads in shocked agreement.
Miroku and Sango smiled at each other, standing back and away from the little family. Kagome obviously liked it, and that made them happy.
"Sango," came a cry from the front door of the mansion. Kohaku was home-schooled by the nanny-like person who worked at Sango's home, so he was there, even this early in the day. Sango had called ahead so that Kohaku would have the day off to meet their new housemates.
"Hey, Kohaku," Sango called out cheerfully. They were close, as close as Souta and Kagome if not more so.
Souta and Shippou grinned at the sight of another boy and the three went off to go explore after a quick introduction, bonded in the way that only a group of mischievous little boys could be.
"I'll explain my plan once we're settled," Sango told Kagome.
Kagome nodded and started off towards the house. When Miroku started after her, Sango caught his elbow and pulled him back. She then whispered what she wanted him to do into his ear so that the last parts of her plan could fall into place. Once she was sure Miroku understood, Sango picked up what was left of the luggage and followed Kagome; Miroku stayed behind and pulled out his cell phone to call a friend from work. After a quick conversation, and a lot of explanations, the violet-eyed man remained where he was for awhile until a car pulled up the driveway. Getting an envelope from the driver and muttering his thanks, Miroku started up to the house, just in time to see Kagome and Sango coming back outside with some snacks and refreshments.
He met them at the veranda, and the three settled down into chairs facing one another on the veranda, enjoying the shade and fresh air it offered. Each grabbed a glass of mint tea.
"Kagome, you can't hide forever," Sango began, leaning onto her elbows.
Kagome nodded eagerly. "I'm not one to run away with my tail between my legs," she admitted. "I may have come here to bring the boys out of danger, but I want to fix this problem as soon as I can. I want a normal life again, but if I have to take a few precautions first, so be it."
Miroku was the one who nodded this time; he had guessed that about Kagome already. She faced her problems head on instead of preferring to run from them. Thankfully, she also didn't seem dense enough to tackle a problem without having the proper backup first.
"First off, you, Souta, and Shippou are welcome to stay here for as long as you want," Sango stated seriously. She enjoyed another girl's company, and it felt good to have people in her home once again. Plus, Kohaku needed someone his own age to interact with.
"Thank you, we really appreciate this," Kagome told her warmly, gratitude evident in her voice.
Sango smiled. "I'm happy about that."
"You need a job, something to do during the day. Something to get money from," Miroku added.
"Yeah, I know that. But to apply for a job, you have to fill out an application; to do that, I'd have to use my name, and he might find out." Kagome sounded more curious than defeated when she explained this, as though she had already been wondering about the exact same thing.
"We know that. That's why I called and got you this." Miroku handed Kagome a manila folder, the same one he had received from the person who had dropped by not that long before.
"What's this?" Kagome asked, surprised. She took the folder from him delicately, wondering why he was acting so secretive and almost like a secret agent. Opening it up, she pulled out a paper-clipped stack of papers. They were birth certificates for 'Souta Shashu,' 'Shippou Shashu,' and 'Kagome Shashu.' There was also a high school degree and some college degrees, only with the name 'Kagome Shashu' emblazoned across the top. In addition to all this, there was also a driver's license and several credit cards in that same pseudonym. "What in the world...?" Kagome inquired with wide eyes, thumbing through the documents once more.
"I work for the Japanese government and pulled a few favors in the Witness Protection Program. A couple of people owed me," Miroku explained.
"Shashu?" Kagome quirked an eyebrow in his direction, gesturing at her new last name.
"I thought it fit you," Miroku pointed out with a laugh, meaning that the work mean 'archer.'
"Me, too," Sango agreed with a grin tugging at her lips.
"Now you can have a new identity and can get a job, things like that," the government agent continued.
"Like live a life," Sango tacked on the end.
With trembling hands, Kagome looked back down at the folder and its content, feeling the weight of what they had just given her settled on her shoulders. Slightly shocked, Kagome gaped at Miroku and Sango in a dumbstruck sort of way, her mouth hanging open and her eyes as wide as they could go. "Wow," she gasped, unable to find the right word to express what she was feeling.
"Yeah, I know," Sango said. Turning to Miroku she patted him on the head like he was a pet worth praising. "He actually comes in handy sometimes."
Miroku swatted her hand away playfully and pouted.
Kagome laughed at their antics. "One problem," she could help but add, her tone dropping back into seriousness again. "How am I going to find a job? It takes some people months." She sighed, turning her eyes away and looking off into the distance at the beautiful landscape as she pondered this dilemma. "I've only had one job before, and the guy I'm running from was the one who got me hired at my old job. I don't have that much experience with job hunting and it will be difficult to find a job without any references."
Sango adopted a nervous look, flicking her eyes to Miroku and then back to Kagome's profile. "Well, we kind of have a solution for that..." she trailed off while twiddling her thumbs.
Kagome turned back to the brunette with narrowed eyes. "I knew this came with a catch."
Miroku chuckled nervously, trying hard to exude confidence and reassurance. "It's not all that bad!"
"Well, what is my new job going to be?" Kagome pushed, exasperated when the two refused to continue any further.
"My secretary," came a growl from behind them. Kagome turned to see Inuyasha Youkai leaning against a pillar in all his glory, having succeeded in sneaking up on the group without anyone noticing.
Kagome swallowed hard and mentally groaned, lamenting the fact that she was apparently stuck with the biggest jerk of all time. She sighed. "When do I start?" she asked in a small voice staring at her flip-flops.
"I wasn't aware I was that bad." Inuyasha rolled his eyes while smirking. "Tomorrow," he added seriously, when he didn't rouse a laugh from anyone or any apologies from Kagome. Not even Miroku, his best friend, tried to defend him.
Kagome's eye began to twitch, but she held back the urge to wipe that smirk off his face. Sternly, she reminded herself that she should harm her future boss so quickly. To keep from shooting her mouth off and saying anything rude, she only nodded in response to him. Inuyasha pulled up a fourth chair and sat between his two best friends, directly opposite Kagome.
"Thanks, Inuyasha, we really appreciate it," Sango told him sincerely.
"Yeah, big help," Kagome muttered.
Miroku resisted the ever-increasing urge to snort in laughter. He'd grow to love to watch these two bicker, he just knew it, already finding an entertainment value in it.
Kagome stopped glaring at her new boss long enough to quickly look around. The light had definitely gotten a lot darker in the last hour since they'd arrived. Odd, since it was only around noon. She got up and walked to the foot of the veranda and peered upward into the gray sky. Just as her face was fully upward a fat raindrop landed in the center of her forehead, and in mere seconds, rain was pouring down in sheets. Thunder shook the air, and lightning forked overhead. "Shit," Kagome cursed. She'd been doing that a lot lately, she realized. Stepping out onto the driveway, she looked around for the rest of her tiny family.
Unsure of what she was doing, Inuyasha wondered at her sanity as he watched her get soaked to the bone.
"Souta! Shippou!" Kagome called out into the gloom.
"Over here, mom!" came a shrill cry from her left. She turned to see Shippou, Souta, and Kohaku racing to the house, laughing and pushing at each other, each trying to beat the other two. Once they got to Kagome, she swept her brother and adopted son into a huge hug, smiling widely at Kohaku.
"Let's get inside," she suggested, leading them to the front door where the others were waiting. Once there, the four excused themselves to get some dry clothes.
Reaching her new room, Kagome drug around in the duffle bag full of borrowed clothes from Sango and pulled out a long, jean skirt and a white blouse, wanting to be comfortable as well as dry. As she slipped into them, she sent out a silent thank you to the universe for sending such a good group of her people her way when she really needed them.
Just as the three young boys and woman left the entryway to go get changed, the doorbell rang.
"Wonder who that is," Sango muttered as she answered the door.
Outside was an extremely attractive young man, looking around the same age as Inuyasha, who was twenty-four. He had long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and piercing, ice blue eyes; he was also dressed rather well and spent a moment shaking the rain off his umbrella. When Sango answered the door, he gave her a charming grin. Miraculously the man was barely wet.
"Please, come in," the home owner offered, stepping back from the doorway, so the man could enter. Leading him into the living room, Sango started to introduce everyone. "That's Miroku and Inuyasha, and I'm Sango. How can we help you?" she asked politely. She didn't recognize the man.
"Oh, I hope you can. My name is—" the stranger began charmingly, but was cut off when there were footsteps racing down the staircase.
"Kouga!" Someone squealed from the doorway. Everyone in the living room turned to watch an excited Kagome run in and engulf the man in a backbreaking hug, her thin arms wrapped tightly around the man's chest and holding on for dear life. Miroku stood from his chair, feeling protective. The only thing he could come up with was that this was the man who had hurt Kagome. Who else could it be?
Kagome let go of Kouga and stepped back to get a better look at him.
Kouga flashed her a wolfish grin before turning back to Sango. "You were a big help! I found just what I came looking for."
"Kouga, how did you know where to find me?" Kagome inquired, surprise and confusion battling it out in her tone of voice.
Kouga looked back at her and frowned. "That asshole came looking for you. He said everything was all right, that you just left for a small vacation, and he needed to contact you because of an emergency. He said that he lost the travel information you left behind and was hoping you'd told me where you were going. He bothered every one of your old friends. I knew something was wrong, so I called around looking for you."
"Naraku," Kagome hissed under her breath, her mood instantly darkening. The other three adults, all except Kouga, leaned forward to catch the name of Kagome's enemy. At least now they could put a name to the evil actions that had brought their new friend to them. A look of anger passed over everyone's faces.
Still frowning, Kouga continued with his explanation. "I called an old friend here, Jinenji, and he said he'd seen you at a shelter. The Sakura Hide-Away, he'd said. That worried me, so I pressed him and found out that a Miss Sango Taijai knew you, so I came to find you." Kagome's look changed to one of a smile as he pulled her into another hug. "We're all so worried about you, Kagome. Your mom especially," Kouga added, his voice sincere.
Kagome pulled back quickly, her eyes darting around the room as she thought quickly about her situation. "You can't tell anyone where I am," she stated seriously, finally, coming to a conclusion.
Kouga nodded. "I figured that much out."
Kagome turned back to her confused friends; "Kouga is an old friend of mine from Kyoto. We've know each other since we were young."
Having his explanation and knowing Kouga was safe for Kagome to be around, Miroku nodded and sat back down in his chair, relaxing.
"Now that I've found you, I better be getting back," Kouga said. There was a longing in his voice to stay with his friend, but he ignored it. "Back in Kyoto, I'll cover your tracks," he pledged.
"Thank you, Kouga, you have no idea how happy I am to see you again. It's been three years," she realized with a start.
Kouga laughed, a full, deep chuckle. "Yeah! I haven't seen you since graduation," he grinned.
Kagome joined in the laughter, her smile brightening her entire face and reaching her eyes. "You grew! Now you're even taller! I feel so short," she joked.
"You always felt short," Kouga chuckled wryly. He smiled and nodded apologetically to his old friend, and crush, and turned to leave. "Better go," he called out over his shoulder. He had a lot of work to do back home.
"Give Mama a kiss for me," Kagome pleaded from where she stood. She refused to follow him to the door. She hated good-byes.
"I will," he promised before closing the door behind him. Kagome sighed, she wished he could have stayed longer; they really needed to catch up. A smaller, much more logical part of her realized that back in Kyoto, he could do her an unimaginable favor by helping hide her from Naraku. Kouga had always been great at tracking down things—or in this case, people—who were lost; Naraku may be just as good.
"So!" Sango announced from behind Kagome, clapping her hands together.
Kagome jumped. She had forgotten there were people there. She flashed a quick smile around at everyone. A spark had brightened up her eyes, which did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group.
"Who was that?" Kohaku asked his sister as he and the other boys clambered down the stairs, now dressed in dry clothes.
"An old friend of mine, Kouga Ookami," Kagome answered for Sango.
Souta's eyes took on a sparkle. "Kouga? He was here?"
Kagome smiled. "Yes, Kouga."
Souta sulked. "Why didn't you call me? I haven't seen Kouga in forever! Is he any different? Did he say anything about me? Is he still going to teach me soccer moves?"
"Sorry, kid. He was only here for a few minutes. You can talk to him later. You can ask him about soccer then," Kagome apologized, reaching out to pat her little brother on the shoulder. Surprisingly, he jerked out of reach.
"You just wanted to keep him to yourself!" Souta accused hotly.
Kagome blushed a pretty pink color. "That's not true!"
"Right," Souta sang out, rolling his eyes, seizing the chance to tease Kagome. Like sister, like brother.
"You know very well, young man, that Kouga and I are just friends!" Kagome scolded.
Miroku chuckled from the chair he was sitting in. He liked Kagome's arguments. They were an extremely good way to pass time.
Too bad that chuckle drew her blue-eyed gaze to him. "And what, pray tell, are you laughing at, Mr. Houshi?"
Sango snorted. It was funny to hear someone address Miroku in a formal sense.
"Nothing, Miss Shashu," Miroku replied, a grin on his face.
Kagome looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. "I'll have to get used to that," she muttered.
Inuyasha watched this all with interest. It was weird watching from the sidelines and not being a part of a disagreement. He liked the feeling, though not enough to give up arguing for good. As if that would be happening anytime soon!
The rest of the evening went without incident. The men left at nightfall, and Sango pulled the new occupants of her house upstairs.
On the fourth floor were the 'Shashu' family's rooms. The entire floor was made up of only three rooms, all on the same hallway, plus one gargantuan library and a bathroom. The bedrooms were all roughly the size of an average house's living room and family room put together, which seemed ridiculous to the sensible Kagome. Based on the rooms' decorum was how the three decided who would get which. Shippou's was done in all red, Souta's in blue, and Kagome's in green. Kagome was thrilled to see a queen sized canopy bed fit for a princess. After tucking the boys in, Kagome changed into a nightdress, one from Sango that still had its price tag attached to the collar.
Slipping into bed, she instantly fell asleep.
Kagome woke up just after dawn and took a long shower in the bathroom on their floor. It, also, happened to be (almost obscenely) large. She was beginning to understand why Sango and Kohaku felt so alone living on the grounds by themselves. Kagome changed into a tan blouse and a pair of black dress pants and pulled her still wet hair into a loose bun at the bottom of her neck, keeping in mind the fact that she was supposed to start her first day of work as Inuyasha's secretary. She then slipped on a pair of small leather heals that looked stylish but Kagome was sure she'd still be able to walk in by the end of the day. She wanted to look nice for her first official day at the office; she'd learned the previous evening that Inuyasha's work was called the Inutaisho Company. The stubborn young woman hated to admit it, but he was doing her a big favor by letting her work there.
After descending the stairs, she went into the very yellow kitchen; the bright color of the walls was more startling than cheerful that early in the morning. Nervous about her first day of work, Kagome declined Sango's offer of toast. Sango was already ready for her shift at the shelter.
"What about the boys?" Kagome asked, suddenly worried.
Sango chuckled. "Our butler and nanny, of some sorts, will take care of them."
"Oh?"
"Kaede and Myouga are pretty good with children. They're a bit on the older, and odder, side, but they take great care of Kohaku. Kaede even treats him like her own grandson. Myouga just puts up with him, which is a hard job of its own," Sango explained.
Kagome nodded and smiled. Her fresh white bandage was still very noticeable even under her heavy black bangs, Sango realized. She didn't say anything about it.
Taking a deep breath, Kagome asked, "How will I be able to get to work? Should I take the bus? Does the city bus even come all the way out here?"
In response, Sango threw her a set of keys.
Kagome turned them over in her hands, studying them. Again, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude bubbled up her throat, reminding her that these virtual strangers were doing all this for her based on a hunch that she was worth it. She fought the feeling off, not wanting to cry and ruin her makeup, and instead called a quick goodbye before walking out the back door to the garage hidden behind a group of oak trees. Clicking a button attached to the set of keys, a light flashed notifying Kagome the position of the car she would be using. Kagome's eyes slid over the sleek, black, Italian sports car.
Sliding in the driver's seat, Kagome inserted the key and turned it. The engine purred beneath her hands, and she couldn't help but grin to herself. She pulled out of the garage and onto the driveway, pointing the nose of the car in the direction of the city. She relied on her memory of the ride to the parade to find Inuyasha's building.
Sighing, Kagome Shashu prepared herself for the first day of her new life.
Next Chapter: The Youkai Brothers
