Promises to Keep

Chapter 2- Acceptance

By firegoddess

Kagome buried her head underneath her pillow, desperately trying to ignore the racket coming from his room. It happened every Saturday morning. Mama would leave for her morning appointments and Jii-chan would be out of the house to care for the shrine and that's when he'd strike.

The music would escalate after each song until Kagome just couldn't stand it any longer and she resorted to banging on his door until he decided it was time for his morning shower. It happened every Saturday without fail but today Kagome decided to do things a little differently.

If she had to be completely honest with herself, the idea had originally been his. But then being completely honest certainly wasn't on the agenda today.

At 17, Kagome had gone from innocent and naive to conniving and sneaky. She had thought her plan out for days before she deemed it fool-proof, meaning he wouldn't screw it up.

Kagome waited for an hour before the music finally switched off and a moment later running water could be heard from the shower. Now was her chance.

With as much grace as humanly possible, Kagome grabbed a small box of supplies and rushed to his room. She had five minutes at least to put her plan into action.

Five minutes later . . .

"It's a pity his hair is so long," Kagome smiled to herself wickedly. "It just takes forever to get all the conditioner out." She stalked to the downstairs bathroom and without a moment's hesitation, flushed the toilet.

"Five, four, three, two, one . . ." Kagome's smile only widened when a yelp could be heard from the upstairs bathroom.

The water shut off a moment later and the door to the bathroom opened only to be shut forcefully.

"KAGOME!"

Desperately she tried to wipe the smile off her face as she watched the hanyou stalk down the stairs and towards the couch where she had braced herself when it seemed laughter was inevitable.

"Is there something wrong, Inuyasha?" she asked as innocently as possible, but even if he couldn't smell her lies, the smile that refused to disappear gave her all away.

Inuyasha glared at the human in front of him. His waist length hair had been rinsed, thankfully, but his upper half was still covered in soap suds. Inuyasha knew she had been up to something when Kagome hadn't started banging on his door to shut off the music. When the water temperature had suddenly dropped he rushed out of the bathroom, barely pausing to wrap a towel around his waist, to find the girl that dared torment him.

"Yeah, there's something wrong," he replied angrily. "But of course, helpless human that you are, you're too stupid to understand!"

A giggle escaped from Kagome but she valiantly held it in. Inuyasha always pulled the 'stupid human' card when her mother wasn't around. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she replied, but her tone was anything but sincere. "Are you done with the bathroom now? I would like to take a bath."

Inuyasha growled low in his throat before stalking upstairs and shutting his bedroom door behind him with a loud 'bang.'

"Three, two, one . . ." Kagome waited for it and of course Inuyasha didn't fail to disappoint.

"BITCH!"

"I just love Saturdays," Kagome hummed to herself as she went upstairs to starther bath.

break

Asami knew this would be a day to remember as she set the table for lunch. She had received two very interesting packets in the mail today and with the two eldest children graduating next month, Asami had a faint idea what those two packets were.

Souta came into the kitchen and took his place at the table, yawning as he watched his mother prepare lunch.

"Why are you so tired dear?" his mother asked when Souta rubbed his eyes. "Did you stay up late last night?"

"No," muttered Souta, a small frown forming. "Kagome and Inuyasha are at it again."

"How is that any different from normal?" she asked with a smile. After eight years of living together, the pair still refused to get along.

"I think Kagome actually got the upper hand on Inuyasha for once," her youngest replied, scratching his head.

"Feh. She'd like to think so," argued Inuyasha as he sat down at the time next to Souta.

"What did she do this time?" asked Asami lightly amused.

"Nothin' worth mentioning," replied the hanyou heatedly.

"That's not what you were saying this morning, dog-boy," Kagome said happily as she breezed into the kitchen as sat across from Souta.

"You seem like you're in a good mood this morning," her mother observed.

"I feel wonderful," Kagome agreed. "Did I get anything in the mail today, Mama?"

Asami nodded and sat down next to her daughter. Jii-chan wouldn't be in to eat lunch until later. "Yes, dear. Both you and Inuyasha got a packet, but let's wait until after lunch to open them, okay honey?"

Kagome nodded and started to eat. No one bothered to make any conversation at lunch and everyone ate silently until Kagome proclaimed she was done and wanted her mail.

"Sure, dear," replied Asami, walking to the counter to put away her dishes before pulling out the two manila envelopes. "This one is yours," she handed it to Kagome. "And this is yours," she handed the other to Inuyasha.

The two glared at each other for a moment before simultaneously ripping the envelopes open and looking inside.

Heart pounding, Kagome read the top paper of the envelope. Her eyes scanned the words, barely pausing until she reached the word she was searching for. "Accepted!" she squealed, hugging her mother tightly before looking at the paper again to assure herself it wasn't a dream.

"I'm accepted, I'm accepted!" she chanted. "I'll be attending Miyu college in the fall!"

"What did you say?" Inuyasha asked harshly, breaking Kagome out of her chant.

Kagome looked over at the hanyou who calmly held the papers in his manila envelope in his clawed hands. She wasn't the least intimidated by his tone and stuck her nose in the air. "I was accepted to Miyu college."

"What does your paper say?" asked Asami gently, directing Inuyasha's attention towards her.

"I was accepted to Miyu college," he replied, once again turning to glare at Kagome.

break

Sesshomaru came to visit three days before Inuyasha and Kagome's graduation. Since Inuyasha had refused to give up his room to his elder brother, and Sesshomaru was not willing to take Asami's or Kagome's room when they offered, the Inuyoukai resorted to staying at a motel down the street. Not that he was disappointed, no. Sesshomaru didn't particularly enjoy being awaken by his yelling younger brother or a screaming Kagome, which was the wake-up call on most days.

You'd think after eight years those two would grow up, he thought absently as he climbed the shrine stairs. Jii-chan was waiting for him at the top.

"Sesshomaru, my boy! How have you been? I haven't seen you since December!" the old man greeted, patting him on the back.

Sesshomaru offered the human a smile and nodded. "I have been quite well, thank you. I'm glad to see the shrine is still standing."

Jii-chan nodded before shaking his head in Sesshomaru's silent statement. "Yes, well let's say I'm glad Kagome and Inuyasha haven't resorted to more that screaming matches though last month Kagome through all of Inuyasha's pants out his window and poured itching powder between his sheets."

"How did she manage that? I'm sure my brother would have sensed her going into his room. His senses aren't that bad," Sesshomaru asked curiously, though his tone said he didn't think much of his brother's abilities.

"Kagome waited until Inuyasha was in the shower. Then after she was done she flushed the down stairs toilet just to get Inuyasha so riled up he didn't realize she had been in his room."

"Well, she certainly has gotten cunning."

"Inuyasha got her back, though."

"Oh?"

"Yes. The week after he put dye in the shampoo so Kagome's had pink hair for the last two weeks. The last of the dye just washed out."

Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head. "Those two will be the death of each other."

"Yes, well, wait until you hear where they'll be attending school."

break

Kagome didn't look up when the kitchen door opened. She was much too busy arguing on the phone. "You can't be serious," she asked, looking over her housing papers.

"I'm sorry Ms. Higurashi, but we have little room to begin with. The students who applied first were given housing priority."

"But . . . I . . . how can I afford to live off-campus?"

"Again, I'm very sorry Ms. Higurashi, but you and your brother will have to look elsewhere. You both mailed your applications too late, I'm afraid."

"He's NOT my brother!"

"Again, sorry." The line went dead.

"WHAT THE HELL!" screamed Kagome, slamming the phone down and giving the table a hard kick . . . which only succeeded in stubbing her toe.

"Shit," Kagome muttered to herself, nursing her abused toe.

"I see my brother has rubbed off on you," observed Sesshomaru as Jii-chan fished a soda out of the fridge and tossed it to him.

"Hey, Sess," Kagome smiled though the expression was pained.

"What was all that about?" asked Jii-chan. He had long gotten over the fact that his sweet and precious Kagome knew such words as 'hell' and 'shit' though her mother would throw a fit if she knew Kagome had been using that kind of language.

"They said there isn't any room on campus for me and that I'll have to find somewhere else to live," grumbled Kagome, leaning against the chair and glaring at the phone.

"It sounded like that was the case for Inuyasha as well," observed Sesshomaru.

"Yeah . . ." Kagome scowled. "We put in our applications too late because we hadn't really planned on going to school till the spring. Then mama said we had to apply to at least one school so we did . . . and yeah. Since we got accepted Mama said we were obligated to go."

"You are?" asked the Inuyoukai, rising an eyebrow. Asami wasn't the type to force her children into anything they didn't want to do.

"Well, sorta. Myouga-sama informed Mama recently that Inuyasha had to start college in the fall if he didn't want to lose his inheritance."

"And that motivated my brother?"

"No. It wasn't until after he heard the money would go to you that he turned in an application."

"Ahh, yes, well that explains it," he agreed. "But why did you apply as well?"

Kagome snorted and crossed her arms. "Like I'm gonna let dog-boy get ahead of me! If I had known he was apply to Miyu though . . . man! Now I regret only applying to one school."

"Oh come on," said Asami as she entered the room. "It won't be that bad." She smiled at Kagome before walking up to Sesshomaru and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope your flight here was pleasant. How is your company doing?"

Sesshomaru had taken over his father's old company when he had turn twenty-three. Now, two years later, it was as strong as it had been when his father was still alive. "Very well, thank you."

"Myouga-san informed me that you've made a profit about double what your inheritance was, and your inheritance wasn't a small sum to begin with!" Asami said admirably. "Your father would be so proud of you!"

Sesshomaru smiled lightly and took a sip of his soda. "Kagome told me you had talked to Myouga recently," he said leadingly.

"Yes," Asami nodded and sat beside Kagome at the table. "Apparently there were certain 'conditions' that he was not allowed to inform us of until recently."

"And that would be Inuyasha must attend college this fall?"

"Yes."

"So I gather both Inuyasha and Kagome will be attending Miyu?"

"Not intentionally," muttered Kagome.

Asami smiled and patted Kagome's hand lightly. "If two would just stop fighting long enough to have a decent conversation then you would have known which schools you were each applying to." Kagome muttered under her breath and slumped in her seat.

Her mother smiled again before looking over at Kagome's Housing Forms. "Have you heard back about housing yet?"

Kagome gave a very human growled and nodded. "It's a no go, Mama. They said our applications were turned in too late for us to have first priority and to seek housing off campus."

"Oh." Asami's face visibly fell and she bit her lip out of habit.

"Don't worry," Sesshomaru replied lightly. "I'm sure something can be arranged."

"I won't take handouts," Kagome said automatically. Since Sesshomaru had received his inheritance he had continually tried to pay back the family for their continual help and support. Any attempts that included money, however, were repeatedly shot down.

"I wasn't referring to paying for it myself," Sesshomaru stated. "There is a program that specializes in finding apartments for college students. You would most likely end up sharing with a multitude of students but its affordable for both you and my brother."

"What do you mean?" asked Inuyasha as he entered the room. "Wouldn't my inheritance cover living expenses?"

"Ah . . . no," Asami piped up. "It only covers tuition."

"WHAT!"

Kagome frowned at him, never mind she had been in a similar state only moments before. Dismissing Inuyasha from her thoughts she turned back to Sesshomaru with new determination.

"What's this program called?"

Sesshomaru smiled for a second before answering. "Houshi's Helping Hands."