Number One Priority Chapter 4:
A/N: There aren't any original characters in this fiction; if you don't recognize a name then it is someone from Fushigi Yuugi. I haven't decided for sure if this is a Miroku/Kagome pairing. I'm heavily leaning towards the idea, but I'm open-minded to her pairing up with one of the FY characters (Tasuki and Hotohori are my favorites). As the story progresses and after I hear what you readers have to say I'll decide later on. ~Belle
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Nuriko helped Kagome clear the table and do the dishes after an awkward dinner. Miroku seemed to be preoccupied with something on his mind and he refused to divulge the matter with his companions. He did, however, occasionally glare at the door. This left the two guests sharing pointless small talk.
"Well Kagome-chan, I'm glad that I was able to eat dinner with you and your brother. Feel free to call me anytime if you get bored. But, I really need to return to the apartment now before someone gets worried about me." Nuriko smiled kindly at his new friend as he made his way towards the door.
Kagome glanced at Miroku who had picked up the phone and was talking to someone by the name of Chichiri. "Thanks Nuriko, I appreciate that. I guess you better get home to your boyfriend." She watched as the lavender haired young man cringed at the way she stressed the last word and smiled at her guiltily.
"You're not poking fun of me, are you Kagome-chan?" Nuriko inquired suspiciously as his hand was upon the door knob to exit the apartment. His lavender eyes sought the truth within Kagome's blue-grey orbs.
Kagome reached over and pat Nuriko on the shoulder tenderly. "Of course not, it's just that I think it's a shame that I don't have a chance with you is all." She smiled at him sincerely. Miroku paused in his conversation to eaves drop, none too happy with Kagome's latest comment.
"Don't worry you have a chance! Besides, if me and Jak break up and Miaka still refuses me then you are my next hope!" Nuriko smiled breezily and flew out the door leaving a confused Kagome in the wake. Miroku rushed past her and slammed shut the front door and locked it and the deadbolts. He braced his back against the door and then turned to regard Kagome.
"You really shouldn't leave these doors open. Who knows what kind of cretins are waiting to prey upon you out there?" Miroku told her with an exasperated expression. The telephone was clenched tightly in his hand. He knew he couldn't trust Nuriko! He may have been slightly interested in Kagome!
Kagome looked at her step-brother confused for a moment before covering up her bafflement with a pleasant smile. "I certainly wouldn't want to find out Miroku."
Miroku nodded and left her to finish his conversation with Chichiri. He would have to work the next day and now that he knew Nuriko couldn't be trusted around Kagome, he wanted to drop her off in the blue-haired man's hands. Chichiri was practically a Buddhist monk! After wrapping up the plans with his friend he hung up the phone.
Kagome was sitting upon the couch, flipping past the channels on the television. Everything was in Japanese so she was having a really hard time following. Her mastery of the language was still sketchy.
Miroku stood behind the couch and leaned down to yank the remote control from her hand and set it gently upon the coffee table. "Shall I show you where you'll be sleeping?" He reached for her now unoccupied hand and helped her rise to her feet. With feline agility, Kagome hopped over the back end of the couch to stand beside Miroku. He led her to Inuyasha's vacant room.
After opening the door the pair surveyed the room. With the exception of some heavy metal band posters on the wall and a bed in the middle of the room with a black comforter and the empty desk in the corner one would not imagine someone living in there. "Did he take everything home?" Kagome asked looking around the sparsely furnished room.
Miroku shook his head no. "He just doesn't believe in material possessions. He comes from a mega-rich family so it's his form of rebellion."
"And you are down the hall? What if your roommate decides to move back early?" Kagome asked as she sat upon the surprisingly comfortable bed. A lecherous grin lit Miroku's face.
"You can always sleep with me," he suggested with a playful wink to which Kagome laughed. He felt a piece of his heart chip off at her reaction. He had forgotten that she was unaware of his promiscuity. She probably thought he was kidding! But then of course he was just joking, because she was Kagome! He could never treat her as some object to entertain his lust.
"Or I could stay at Nuriko's or something." Kagome suggested as she laid back to rest her head on the pillow. It smelled really good. The scent reminded her of long strolls in the forest. "By the way, your roommate must smell really good."
"Whatever, if you met him you wouldn't notice his smell." Miroku muttered as he exited the room leaving a mystified Kagome behind, wondering where Miroku's sour attitude had derived.
Feeling fatigued, Kagome pulled back the covers. She's take a shower in the morning. Black satin sheets greeted her under the black comforter. Squealing in delight, Kagome slid herself within the sheets. Whoever this Inuyasha character was he had excellent taste. She doubted if she would return his bed to him if he was to return early.
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The sun rose too early for Miroku's tastes. He awoke to the sound of running water. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his attire for the day. His fingers itched as he neared the bathroom door. He could accidentally walk in.
He shook his head of the thought. What was he thinking! His sister was in the shower! Kagome! But, wait she wasn't really his sister. His head hurt he needed to hurry off to work. Maybe the chemical fumes would clear his mind of such thoughts.
He walked back to his bedroom and shut his door with his back. Leaning his head against the firm wooden door he breathed in deeply trying to ease his chaotic emotions. He glanced down at the jeans and shirt clutched in his right hand.
The knock on the door jarred him from his daze. "Hey Miroku, if you need the shower its free now." Kagome's cheerful voice greeted from the other side. Screwing his violet eyes shut tight Miroku opened the door and smiled.
Kagome's eyes widened at the male body before her. Miroku stood in only a pair of purple silk boxers, clutching his clothes in his right hand. The muscles of his torso and arms could not be ignored. Her gaze landed on his abdomen to scrutinize the six-pack before her. "You look good," she murmured.
Miroku smirked at the comment, manly pride swelling his ego. "I have grown up since we last saw one another." He then moved his frozen legs to stride towards the bathroom for a very cold shower.
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Chichiri smiled in salutation when Miroku appeared at the temple with Kagome in tow. He was enjoying his morning meditation while waiting for the arrival of the pair. He could certainly see why Miroku was being so protective of this Kagome. She looked like an innocent young lady who had to grow up too fast.
"I trust that you two had a pleasant walk getting here, no da." Chichiri greeted in a docile manner. His smile able to melt the coldest of hearts. Miroku merely nodded his head, obviously having other matters on his mind.
"Kagome this is my good friend Chichiri. He'll watch after you today while I'm at work. Have fun and I'll see you at the apartment later this evening." Miroku gave Kagome a brief hug and then turned on his heals and headed out of the temple, leaving two perplexed friends behind.
"That was kind of rude. I wonder what his problem is today?" Kagome muttered under her breath as Miroku drew away from view, his figure becoming small in the distance. She turned to meet the polite young man and extended her hand towards him, "I'm Kagome and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
Chichiri kept his smile upon his face and accepted her hand in a firm shake. "Would you like to accompany into town? I need to purchase some supplies for a meeting tonight."
"Sure, I haven't really seen Tokyo yet. For some reason Miroku doesn't seem to want me wandering around. It's as if he's afraid I'll meet some people and forget about him. He's been acting very odd lately. I'm worried for him," Kagome confided as she bit her bottom lip. Her blue-grey eyes clouded over as she became absorbed in her inner thoughts.
"Don't worry Kagome, I'm sure he's just been preoccupied as of late, no da. Let's head out to the market." Chichiri offered Kagome has arm and she looped her elbow through his and together they set out for the market and an impromptu tour of the city.
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The modeling shoot went well in spite of the fact that he hardly received any sleep the night before. Miroku was being especially loud and he thought he had recognized the voice of Nuriko. There was also some woman that they were no doubt trying to entertain. At least Nuriko wasn't trying to hit on him anymore so, he wouldn't complain too much about a little missed sleep.
Hotohori tied back his long golden brown hair into a low ponytail. He was feeling rather flushed from spending so much time in front of the cameras. His amber eyes, after several eye drops, were bright and no longer bloodshot from his weariness.
He shuffled his feet down the walks of Tokyo scanning the windows of various shops. He didn't have any plans for the day. That evening there was a frat meeting he had to attend assuming it wasn't canceled like the last one, but other than that he had too much free time on his hands. Normally he and his roommate, Sesshoumaru, would find something to do. Something peaceful that avoided annoying people, but his white haired roommate was at his parents' house for the next few weeks.
Hotohori's attention was riveted towards a shop full of old books. He always enjoyed second hand bookstores. The newer stores hardly held any antique books and there was something about leather bound books that struck his interest.
He tried to ignore the incessant giggling at his back. Women were always giggling around him. He was flattered by the attention but most people simply lacked the quality he admired in a woman. Miaka had that quality but she chose Tamahome. His hands clinched at his sides at the fleeting jealous thought.
Briskly, he strolled into the shop and was greeted by an elderly man at the door. Hotohori offered him a picture perfect smile in response before brushing past the shop owner and looking at the different aisles of books. He lifted his left hand to sweep it across the spines of the books at his eye level as he read the titles.
He found one that looked interesting and picked it up to examine it closer. He leaned against the shelves to flip through the pages. Unbeknownst to him, another avid reader had her nose stuck in a book as she began to walk towards him.
Neither realized they were on the same aisle until the dark haired woman ran smack into the distracted Hotohori. Both dropped their respective books onto the floor. "Sorry about that," the woman replied in broken Japanese as she reached to retrieve both books from the floor, not looking at him.
Hotohori squat low to the ground and picked up both books before she could, forcing her to look at him in surprise. His amber eyes locked with her blue-grey ones. He needed his red pen right now to mark that there were now two women to have sparked his interest. "Don't worry about it," he told her gently as he handed her the fallen novel.
She took it from him gratefully and quickly rose to her feet. He stood fast as well, towering over her from at least a foot advantage. "It's a good book and I wasn't paying attention."
Hotohori smiled amiably at her. "I told you not to worry about it. I take it that you are not from around here?"
She laughed nervously, raising her hand with the novel grasped within to her heart in embarrassment. "Is it that obvious?"
Hotohori laughed softly as well, "I'm afraid that your Japanese is terrible. Are you here alone?"
Kagome began to shift nervously on her feet. She wasn't technically alone. Chichiri had left her in the book store to browse as he finished the shopping. The bookstore owner was a good friend of his family and promised to look after her in his absence. "I'm with my brother's good friend. He dropped me off in here while he finished some shopping. I kept being distracted."
"I see. Have you eaten lunch yet?" Hotohori inquired with an irresistible smile upon his face, the one that no one could deny to return. "Oh excuse me, my name is Hotohori, forgive my rudeness."
"I'm Kagome. And I am kind of hungry." Kagome admitted as her stomach gave a growl of affirmation.
"Excellent, then I will treat you to a lunch fit for royalty. We can leave a message with the owner of this fine establishment for your brother's friend to find us." Hotohori reached for Kagome's hand and she gave it to him as he led them to the shop owner. He left a message for Kagome's keeper and paid for both of their books.
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Miaka had finally convinced Sango to join her for a day shopping on the busy streets of Tokyo. Sango glanced in the store windows half heartedly while Miaka was busy purchasing all sorts of pastries.
"It sure is a lovely day, isn't it?" Miaka asked with her mouth full of crumbling cookie cake. She used the back of her hand to wipe the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, it was unlady-like but her boyfriend, Tamahome wasn't around to see it so it was fine.
"Yeah, whatever," Sango answered squinting into the distance. "Say, isn't that Hotohori?" She pointed towards a cute couple in the distance. The man looked like Hotohori, tall and gorgeous and the woman beside him looked very pretty from her viewpoint.
Miaka followed Sango's finger and dropped the remainder of her cookie cake. She looked at the fallen item on the sidewalk sadly for a moment before redirecting her gaze back to the couple. "I believe that is Hotohori and he is with a girl! Oh this is exciting! Let's go meet her!" She didn't wait for Sango's answer and began running off towards the two.
Reluctantly, Sango followed. By the time she caught up with Miaka, Hotohori and the mystery girl had both noticed them. Hotohori had offered a friendly wave, though he didn't seem too pleased at being interrupted. However, you had to really know him well to notice his displeasure.
"Miaka, Sango, how nice it is to run into you here," Hotohori greeted the two women who came to a stop before him and Kagome.
"I haven't seen you in ages Hotohori! Who is your friend?" Miaka inquired, fairly obvious in her prying.
"I have been busy with work lately. We had just met actually, but we are about to be late for our lunch. If you will excuse us," Hotohori replied walking away from the two in a breezy manner. He really didn't want to deal with Miaka at the moment and Sango was giving Kagome a fairly dirty look.
"Why didn't you introduce us?" Kagome inquired curiously after the two girls were out of sight. She stopped walking and turned to Hotohori expectantly.
She received an uplifting smile from her companion. "Those two can be a little intense sometimes. Well, at least Miaka can be a bit overbearing. Sango seems a nice girl. I had a feeling that if I was too pleasant to them then Miaka would invite herself along. She has a tendency to eat anything and everything in sight. If she joined us for lunch we would starve." Hotohori explained honestly, his voice soothing to the ear and capable of charming an alligator of becoming a vegetarian.
Sango and Miaka watched Hotohori and his date walk away from them. "That was rude," Miaka commented looking back at Sango. "Don't you think?"
Sango shrugged her shoulders, still watching the pair retreat into the distance. "I don't know. It seemed pretty smart on Hotohori's part. If he had been nice you would have invited yourself along to lunch with them." She turned to offer a teasing smile at the angry looking Miaka. "Perhaps they actually wanted to have some food to eat."
Miaka crossed her arms and shook her head indignantly at the comment, letting her loose red hair hit the sides of her face in denial. "I so wouldn't have eaten all the food."
"But still, I would have liked to have known who that girl was. She seemed familiar to me somehow," Sango muttered trying to place where she had seen the girl before.
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Miroku had done a decent job of keeping the wrath of Tasuki under wrap. His coworker was being unusually quiet that day. Quiet, non-complaining Tasuki usually spelling plots and schemes.
"Who was the girl in your apartment last night Miroku?" Tasuki asked after he cleaned up his experiment. He arrived at work early that morning and hence had finished his duties early. He watched Miroku expectantly.
Miroku whirled on him and gave him his best confused face. "There wasn't a girl at my apartment yesterday. Maybe you heard Nuriko. He does have a girly voice sometimes."
Tasuki's eyes narrowed at the comment dangerously. "Do you think I am stupid or deaf? Hell's bells man! I was a thief before I ever became a respectable college student. Do not for a moment think that I do not have an adept ability to pay attention to details. Now tell me who the girl is that you are trying to hide!" Anger laced his speech and Miroku tried to resist flinching at the tone.
"I don't want to talk about it." Miroku decided to answer. Tasuki deflated before him, visibly disappointed at the answer. "I'm sure you'll find out eventually, just not now. I have to work some stuff out first."
"Whatever, just don't come crawling to me for help when everything goes to crap. I won't want to hear about your petty problems if you aren't willing to share them now." Tasuki gathered his things and left Miroku alone in the lab. He would just investigate Miroku's little secret on his own if the fool wasn't willing to confide in him.
After Tasuki left, Miroku sighed in relief. He reached for his cell phone and dialed Chichiri. Perhaps he could meet up with him and Kagome for lunch. On the third ring Chichiri answered. Miroku soon had a frown upon his face. "What do you mean you left her alone at the bookstore!??"
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Lunch in the West household was another torrential affair. Sesshoumaru was leaning back in his chair with a victorious smirk upon his face, enjoying the rage that his little brother was expressing.
Finally, Mr. West had enough of the pettiness. "That is enough! Both of you stop this at once!" He shouted at the two. Sesshoumaru raised a cool brow at his father while Inuyasha sputtered in his words.
"But dad, he started it!" Inuyasha pointed an accusing finger towards Sesshoumaru who calmly drank from his wine glass, the epitome of cool, calm, and collected.
"Inuyasha, if you can not get along with your brother then I think it would be best if you returned to your apartment. I had hoped that we could spend this time bonding as a family but now realize that with both of you here, it is impossible." Mr. West explained.
Inuyasha's eyes widened and his mouth flew open for another round. "But, Sesshoumaru started it! Why aren't you sending him out?"
Mr. West smirked at the declaration. "Inuyasha, did you think I was playing favorites? I want you both out of my house in the next half hour. I suggest you start packing, now. Anything you leave behind, I'll have sent to you. Now leave."
Sesshoumaru calmly rose from his seat, annoyed with his father for the treatment, but inwardly smiling because Inuyasha was absolutely miserable. It wasn't that he hated his brother. It was just that life was so much more enjoyable when Inuyasha was miserable.
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TBC