Chapter Three

"Hello?" Ms. Higurashi asked.

"Hey Mom, it's me."

"Kagome, what are you doing? The office people said you couldn't use the phone."

"I'm not at school."

"Kagome Higurashi! Come home right now, or you'll be in serious trouble!"

"Mom, I can't. I-"

"And why not!? You know how I feel about you and school! It's noon, and you call me to tell me that you're skipping class!?"

"Mom, there was a wreck on the way to school, and I-"

"Oh my god, what happened? Do I need to pick you up from the hospi-"

"Mom, a man and his daughter were in the car. The girl, Rin, is about four, but she wasn't hurt. The man, Sesshoumaru, was pinned to the steering wheel. Right now, I'm at their mansion, taking care of Rin. I just need you to drive by the school and pick up a week of work for me, and bring me two weeks' worth of clothes, please."

"A mansion? You're in a mansion? And you need me to bring you some stuff?"

"Yes, Mom, my purse, and some clothes. And schoolwork. The address is 1003 Lakeview Drive. The mansion is greenish colored, with a really nice lawn. I think it's the only one with a playground-thing in the back."

"Okay, I know where that is, I should be by in about 30 minutes."

"Thanks! Bye!"

Kagome hung up and decided to explore the house. She walked down a hall, which led to a room filled with various toys, games, and videos. In one corner, there were a bunch of cases leaned up against the green-and-pink painted walls.

She went over to the cases, which turned out to hold a violin, a western-style-flute, a clarinet, and a shakuhachi flute. Aparrently, the tiny girl was a child genius. Either that, or those instruments belonged to Sesshoumaru. Turning on her heel, she walked back down the hall and went up the stairs.

On the second floor, there were six rooms--three bedrooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Kagome walked into the first bedroom on her right, which, by the looks of it, was a guest room. The walls were painted a dark red, and the furnishings were in ebony. The coverlet on the bed was black with a dark red Oriental pattern on it. There was a door leading to a bathroom, and she walked in to see it.

Kagome's jaw dropped even further, if that was possible. The tub was a Jacuzzi, with a small waterfall pouring into it. The sink counters were marble with jade inlay, and the floor was made of green and white tile.

She walked out of the room and down the stairs, not wanting to leave Rin alone for too long. When she reached the room where Rin had begun watching Finding Nemo, she noticed the unusually quiet child sleeping on the black suede couch.

Smiling, Kagome sat down and turned off the TV and the DVD player. As soon as Kagome touched the button, the phone rang again. She ran over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kagome, this is Sesshoumaru."

"How'd your surgery go?"

"Surprisingly, there wasn't too much wrong with me. I was just pinned to the steering wheel, and lost a lot of blood, so I should be home in about a day or so. Do you think you could stay there with Rin until I get better?"

"Yeah, I got my mom to pick up my schoolwork and bring me some clothes-"

The doorbell rang, interrupting her.

"That was my mom ringing the doorbell, so I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Kagome sat the phone down gently and walked to the door, where Ms. Higurashi was patiently waiting outside. "Hi. Mom. I'm on the phone with the guy who was in the accident, you know, Sesshoumaru, so I don't really have time to talk. Thanks for my stuff!" she said, taking the two duffel bags her mom had packed for her.

"Kagome, just call every day, okay? Oh, I called your Sango to let her know where you are. You do have your cell phone, right?" the worried mother asked.

Kagome nodded, smiling. "Um, thanks again! Bye!" she called, shutting the door. She ran over to the phone and picked it up.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"I'm here. The doctors want to observe me overnight, so I'll be back in the morning, if everything goes like it should."

"Okay. Do you want me to stay here for a while after you get back, so you don't have to strain yourself or something?"

"That would help. Yeah, if you're willing to. I'm not going to make you stay here-er, there, if you want to go home."

"No, it's fine. Rin's very sweet, and she's really well-behaved. You're lucky to have a daughter like that."

"Yes, I guess I am."

"Well, I have to get started on my schoolwork. Which room do you want me to stay in?"

"Pick any one you want. Oh, and Rin can have anything for dinner, just not candy or cookies or whatever. She goes to bed between 9 and 10 o'clock, so you don't have to worry about any of that stuff. She can basically do just about everything for herself besides cook or get dressed in a matching outfit."

"Okay, thanks! Bye."

Kagome put down the receiver and walked out to the den, where Rin was still asleep. "Rin?"

The sleeping girl stirred. "I don't want to go to the pool…" she mumbled.

"Rin, I just talked to Sesshy-chan. He's coming home tomorrow morning, so we need to eat some dinner, clean up the house, and set up a place for him to stay when he gets back. What do you want to eat?" Kagome asked, sitting beside Rin.

Rin sat up. "Can I have ice cream?" she inquired, her eyes becoming glittery and wide.

Kagome shook her head. "No, but do you want something like rice, or chicken, or noodles?"

Rin jumped up and began to bounce on the couch. "Chicken nuggets! Chicken nuggets! Chicken nuggets!" she chanted.

"Whoa, whoa! Chill out! I need you to help me find the food," Kagome said, raising her voice a notch to be able to be heard above the chanting 4-year-old.

Rin's face lit up. She stood up, grabbed Kagome's hand, and led her into the kitchen. It was basically a recess into the wall, but it was very large. The counters were topped with marble, and the floor was tiled. There was an island in the middle, which was where the stove was located. ((A/N: One of those things that is just there, like a piece of counter that's just floating in the middle))

At the far side of the kitchen, there was a pantry. Rin opened it to reveal plenty of food, from fortune cookies to enchiladas-in-a-can.

"Er, Rin? Wouldn't the chicken nuggets be in the fridge?" Kagome asked.

Rin nodded. She took a chair from the island and pushed it over to the refrigerator. She opened the door and looked through the freezer. "Hey Kagome?" she asked.

Kagome looked up at her. "What?"

"Can you read?" Rin asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Can you come find the box that says chicken nuggets? I can't see any pictures of them, and I don't know how to read yet..." Rin said.

Kagome grinned and nodded. She walked over to the fridge and picked out the box of chicken nuggets and set them on the counter.

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what's good, what's bad, and what's in between!

Becca