Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or it's characters. I don't own Serendipity either. I do own a toaster, but that's not helping me feel any better.
Still sick....urgh.
Enjoy. I mean it. With the flu, giving others joy with make me happy, since today I seem to be bothering others (especially my mom, who had to leave work to come get me at school)
A Fortuante Accident
Chapter 3- The Search Begins
"Look, I've gotta find her."
Inuyasha stood at one of the many registers inside Bloomingdale's department store. He had been trying to convince a clerk by the name of Hojo (--') that he needed to find any information about Kagome.
"I've only been here for three years," Hojo objected.
"I know, but your computers have been here longer-"
"I think you're wasting my time sir," Hojo said seriously.
"No, no. Here's the thing-" Inuyasha found his way around the front of the desk to the register.
"You can not be over here!" Hojo said alarmed, "you can NOT be over to this side of the counter. Please do not cross this line. Thank you."
"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said tersely, "But all I need you to do is enter the account number into your computer and just tell me her name."
"Oh…I see," Hojo said, "when you put it that way NO!"
Inuyasha sighed impatiently. "Would $20 help?" He asked.
"It might if I was a Heath Inspector."
Inuyasha was near desperate measures. "Alright, this is really important to me." He began to once again, go closer to the cashier. "And all I need you to do-"
"Oh boy, you did it again!" Hojo said loudly. "You crossed the line! You have to remain on the other side of the register. I don't want to say it again."
"Bottom line. What's it going to take? I have to have that name," Inuyasha said seriously.
Hojo appeared thoughtful for a moment, then said more quietly, "Well, I was a little short on my weekly sale's draw."
"Oh? Were you?"
"Just mentioning," Hojo said.
"Alright. Let's see. I'm just going to-"
"No way."
Inuyasha had reached the end of the register, where 'the line' was located. "Look where my feet are." He said annoyed. He reached for a satin purple tie, hanging on the wall, and placed it on the counter.
"A lovely choice sir," Hojo said approvingly.
"Thank you."
Hojo rung it up on the cash register.
"Okay, the account number is 029351-"
Hojo leaned in and said, "I thought you said you were going to help me on my weekly draw. The tie is worth $95. We're still $700 short."
"700!? That's extortion!" Inuyasha said accusingly.
"No, that's just good salesmanship."
Inuyasha took a deep breath and said, "What do I need? Ring it up. Whatever it is, I don't care."
"Well, we have a purple tie," Hojo said nodding, "what goes with a purple tie?"
"I look like an eggplant," Inuyasha said, looking at the reflection of himself, dressed fully in purple. "Alright, I bought your whole damn spring lineup. Will you look up the account number now?"
"I already did, it was a dead account. There's no information in our computers," Hojo said, beginning to cower underneath Inuyasha's formidable glare. His eyes went to the bill, which he had just signed.
"You give me that!" He said, grabbing for it.
"Chase me," Hojo said, running away.
"Chase you? I'll chase you, you crazy little son of a-"
"Don't cross the line! Don't cross the line!"
"STOP SAYING THAT OR I WILL CUT YOU!" Inuyasha had his hands on Hojo's collar. "Now you'd better find a way to help me!"
"I can suggest another way!" Hojo said frantically.
"Suggest it fast, " Inuyasha said, through gritted teeth. He let to of Hojo's shirt slowly.
"When customers apply for a credit card, the hard copies go to our storage facilities in Queens, where you can find her application. All you need is the account number, which you already have. However, you need an employee to get you in. You need an employee to get you in." Hojo grabbed a white box and placed in the counter. He took out a shoe from the box.
" They're Crocodile-"
When Inuyasha came home that night, exhausted and nearly out of hope, his future wife was already sound asleep. He set down the pack of beer he had recently bought and cracked one open.
He needed one.
"Kikyo," he whispered, softly tapping her shoulder. She groaned softly in her sleep and turned over in the other direction. She hugged the sheets closer and snuggled beneath them. Inuyasha let out a sigh. Not out of frustration or composure, but of pure exhaustion.
He sat down on a chair and took a sip of his beer. He wondered if all the rushing around and frantic money spending he was doing was even worth it.
How could he know that on the other side of the country, hours ahead, another was doing the same.
Kagome looked at the 5 dollar bill sitting on the table. In a natural reaction, she flipped it over to see if his name was there. It wasn't.
She felt foolish. Incredibly foolish, for hanging onto the crazy idea inside her head.
Why should she even look anymore?
She shook her head and a soft smile swept her face. She really was foolish.
In the other room, Koga and his manager Ryan watched the music video for his new song. Ryan looked eager to see Koga's reaction. Koga looked bored out of his mind. As the music started, the camera panned to a hoard of dangerous Vikings, in their belligerent fury. The villagers on shore stood calmly, as if in awe.
"Then the camera goes to you, playing solely," Ryan said excitedly.
And so it did.
"It's natural," Ryan said, nodding in approval.
"You think so?" Koga asked. Ryan nodded enthusiastically.
The Viking warriors began to fall to their knees, covering their ears to block the sound of the music. Koga frowned at this.
"No no no. Cut." He paused the remote.
"What's wrong with it?" Ryan asked.
"You can't fend off an army of blood thirsty Vikings with a shehnai, Ryan. It's illogical," Koga stated, pointing to the pained-looking Viking he had freeze framed on.
"No, no. That's not what it is. You're lulling them into submission with the music. That's really the point of the song, to surrender," Ryan said, trying to make it sound more logical than illogical.
"You don't think he looks like he hates it?" Koga asked, once again pointing to the freeze framed Viking.
"…No."
"Okay." He un-paused it and continued watching. Kagome came down stairs to talk to her fiancé, as they were watching.
"Now here." Koga paused again, "Who are these people just standing there? What's their attitude?"
He had paused to a frame of three men, watching Koga leave the people of the village.
Ryan covered quickly, "See they're in awe. They're in awe, and they are grateful for saving them."
"But shouldn't they invite me to stay in their village? Have a feast?" Koga asked.
"You know, I'll talk to the director about that. We'll just fix that whole section there and make it better," Ryan said, standing up and grabbing his things.
"Okay. Tell him about the feast!" Koga called as he left.
"Hey, can we talk?" Kagome asked. Koga nodded, smiling.
"Sure, what's going on?" He said, turning to face her completely.
"I lost my keys the other day," Kagome began, "and I just found them. In the freezer."
Koga stared at her blankly. "I don't get it…is that supposed to be a joke?"
Kagome sighed. "No Koga, it's not a joke. I'm telling you that I'm beginning to overload. Between the wedding, the tour and my patients, I just feel like I have no time for me anymore. And I know that we're leaving for Toronto in the morning, but I just feel like I need a little break. Just a weekend away to recharge my batteries and clear my head. It has nothing to do with you…I just need this. But I won't go unless you say it's okay."
Koga stroked her hair softly. "Kagome, it's okay. You can go, I won't mind. I'll miss you, though."
"Thank you," Kagome said, giving him a quick kiss. She stood up and began to head upstairs.
"Where do you think you're gonna go?" Koga asked.
She stopped and shrugged. "I don't know. New York, maybe."
"Happy Birthday," Kagome said, handing Sango two plane tickets for a round trip to New York City.
Sango gasped. "What? Are you kidding? Get out of here!"
Kagome laughed, "Well that is the idea."
"Oh, Kagome, I don't believe this! It's way too much, I can't," Sango said, staring at the ticket.
"Oh come on, can't a girl do one last fling with her best friend before she goes down the aisle?" Kagome asked, pleading.
"Alright," Sango said, "but you're really not my type."
"Oh thanks," Kagome said sarcastically.
Later that afternoon, they were on their way to New York.
Inuyasha, Hojo and Miroku walked through the many aisles of a Bloomingdale's warehouse in search of carbon copy applications.
Miroku tiredly searched through paper after paper in one area, while Inuyasha searched another. His head pounded harder with every number he checked. He wished Inuyasha would just give up. Hojo looked over Miroku's shoulder quietly. Noticing that poor Miroku was exhausted he began to give him a back rub.
Miroku backed away. "Hey! Excuse me!"
"Why so tense?" Hojo asked.
"Because you're freaking me out, honestly. Isn't there another space you could be in?" Miroku asked.
"Well excuse me," Hojo said rudely, "and where is it that you work?"
"Well, my sale clerk friend, I work for a little publication, maybe you've heard of it: The New York Times!"
Miroku's cell phone began to ring. He picked it up, seeing the number, and put it back down, shaking his head. He hated it when his editor called.
It continued to ring. Hojo picked it up and answered it.
"Hello? Who? Miroku? And who may I say is calling?" Hojo asked the person on the other line. Miroku began to frantically reach for the phone.
"Uh huh, hang on." Hojo handed the phone to Miroku. "It's your editor calling," he whispered.
Miroku threw him a dirty look before answering the phone. "Hi. No, no I didn't get a chance to write that one. No, I didn't write that one either. With all do respect sir, they'll all still be dead tomorrow. Okay, thank you. Bye." He hung up and slammed his cell phone down on one of the carbon copy boxes.
"You write for the obituaries?" Hojo asked, amused.
"Yes I do."
"I bet you're very proud of that," Hojo said smirking.
"Well, I get the last word," he said with a false smile.
"Not tonight."
"Yes I am."
"Don't think so."
"Absolutely."
"Fat Chance."
"Still talking."
"Last line."
"Got it right here-"
They were interrupted by a shout from the other side of the room. Miroku dropped all of the papers he was holding and ran to Inuyasha. Hojo followed quickly behind.
Inuyasha had a paper in his hand and he said excitedly, "I don't know, I don't know. My eyes are killing me. Tell me if they match!"
Both Hojo and Miroku grabbed for the paper at the same time, ripping it out of each other's hands a few times, before it finally ending up in Hojo's hands.
"-0293, congratulations, you have a match!" Hojo said, handing it back to Inuyasha.
He looked back at it excitedly.
"Too bad the last name was completely smudged off," Hojo drawled, pointing to the smudged paper.
Inuyasha gave out somewhat of a distressed cry that caught in his throat.
"It was his fault," Hojo said, pointing to Miroku, "it was his thumb that did it. It went right across the paper when he grabbed it- I'm kidding. It was smudged when I had it."
Miroku began to push past Inuyasha to get to Hojo, complaining about how stupid the entire process had just been.
"That's carbon paper for you," Hojo said, shaking his head sadly, "that's why America rejected it."
"Wait," Inuyasha said looking at the paper closely, "what's this address?" He showed it to Miroku, who shook his head.
"That was seven years ago, man."
"So?" Hojo objected, "go to the Building Leasing office and find out who lived there seven years ago. It isn't rocket science."
The two looked at him amazed.
"Thank you."
After they had gotten their baggage, Kagome and Sango headed outside to catch a taxi. Kagome hailed one and the two women got inside.
"Where to?" The cab driver asked.
"Yea, where are we going?" Sango asked.
"Umm…anywhere," Kagome told the cab driver, "take us anywhere in New York."
The cab driver looked at her unexpectedly. "Excuse me?"
"Take us wherever you feel like taking us."
"Lady, that's not a destination!" The cab driver said, "I can't do that!"
"Kagome, didn't you make reservations?" Sango asked. Kagome was reluctant to tell Sango that she hadn't. With the idea in mind that fate would take her where it wanted, she felt it unnecessary. Sango seemed to differ.
"Now Sango, don't get mad at me…" Kagome said, biting her lip. Sango gasped, then glared at her friend.
"Well that's very sneaky of you, Kagome! How can you lead me out here, have way across the country with no place to stay?" Sango demanded. Kagome tried to object, but Sango headed back into the airport before she could say anything else.
"Sango, I knew you wouldn't come if I told you the truth and I needed my best friend with me!" Kagome said, rushing out of the cab after her.
Sango whirled around furiously. "What are you doing, Kagome? I feel like I don't understand you anymore! Please tell me something-anything that makes just a little bit of sense!"
"…I just spent the entire plane ride here staring out the window, thinking not about my fiancé, but about some mystery guy I met 7 years ago! A guy I don't really even remember…except for a vague picture in my head. I can barely picture his face. It all happened so fast…a few seconds only, but for those few seconds it felt like the whole universe existed just to bring us together!" Kagome said, near tears.
Sango looked at her friend sympathetically. "That's why I'm here!" Kagome continued, "That's why I came, so that when all this is over, I'll never have to think of him ever again." She sighed. "Let's just pray he's some bald loser with no job who sits at home all day and sleeps."
She took her bags and headed back outside to find a cab, leaving Sango inside. She was unsure her friend would follow her. She got into a taxi and asked the driver to wait a moment.
She stared anxiously out the window, for a glimpse of Sango following her. Finally she saw her, pulling her bag behind her. A rush of relief washed over Kagome as she smiled. Sango got into the taxi almost reluctantly.
"You better be buying me one friggen big birthday cake, that's all I've got to say."
Kagome hugged her friend and said, "Sango, you're the best friend I could have."
"Ok, so where are we going?" The taxi driver asked.
"The Waldorf."
Lola:...I have nothing to say for once in my life. Weird.