The shower felt wonderful on her bare skin. The steam surrounded her body as she scrubbed it clean. She opened the new bottle of shampoo her mom bought yesterday and breathed in the pleasant lilac fragrance. She poured a little into her hand and began massaging it into her scalp. She drew in a deep breath at the simple pleasure of washing one's hair. 'Boy', she thought, 'I don't know how I would have lived without shampoo if I'd stayed with Inuyasha.' The thought of it gave her a little laugh. Thinking of Inuyasha stirred her thoughts toward her earlier excursion to the museum.
"I still can't believe it" Kagome said to herself. The image of his alabaster form seeped into her mind. Lord Sesshomaru's image carved into stone. The artist must have been at the top of his trade to have achieved the likeness so well. It truly was magnificent. 'I wonder if Inuyasha ever had a statue made?' The thought brought another giggle. 'Seriously doubt it. Oh Inuyasha, I do miss you.' She sighed and decided that she would not go down that road. It always led to tears.
After dressing for bed Kagome sat at her desk and filled out the application she had picked up earlier. 'I'll drop it off first thing Monday morning.' She attached her resume and then crawled between the soft, cool sheets of her bed. She relaxed her body and drifted off to sleep where she dreamed of a silver haired hanyou leaping through the treetops.
The following Monday morning Kagome set out for the museum, as well as the university, to drop off her job applications. She enjoyed the ride. It gave her time to think about things. Lately Kagome had been feeling the urge to move out of her mom's house. She knew she was more than welcome there, but now that she was a college graduate, it seemed like the right thing to do. It was time to get out on her own. 'A twenty five year old woman, shouldn't live with her mother' she huffed to herself. It would be great to get the job at the university, because it meant that in time, she could work her way up to professor. She had also entertained the knowledge of writing a book on Edo Period myths and legends. It was a fascinating field of study, and she had been gathering information throughout her years as a student. 'Not to mention you was there girl,' she laughed to herself.
The bus arrived at the museum and she stepped off. She had the intention of dropping off the application and then leaving for the university. She handed the application to the same lady that escorted them into the museum last Saturday, then turned to leave. 'Wait Miss," the lady called to her. Kagome turned back. The woman continued, "Could you wait while I take this to the curator? I see that you have a bachelors in Asian Archaeology. He may wish to speak to you now." The young lady waited for Kagome's response. "Hai," Kagome said. " That will be great." The fashionably dressed woman disappeared through a door to the left, and returned almost immediately with a big smile gracing her face. "Mr. Osawa would love to speak to you, Miss Higurashi, if you have time." Kagome was a bit surprised that this happened so fast. 'Oh Kami, I'm not wearing my interview outfit! Calm down Kagome, you can do this, just take a deep breath.' With that she said, "I'd be delighted."
Kagome followed the woman through the same door as earlier. As they entered, the young woman smiled and said, "My name is Sakura." Kagome bowed to her and told Sakura that it was nice to meet her. She followed her down a short hallway to the last room. Kagome opened the door to find a small elderly gentleman sitting behind a really large desk. He stood as she entered and shook her hand warmly. She could immediately tell that he was an energetic and kindly man.
"Miss Higurashi, he began, I see you are applying for the job of artifact organizer. Your degree from Tokyo University says you have graduated at the top of your class in Asian Archaeology. I have to say that I am a bit surprised that someone with your skills would want to take this job." He spoke in a soft, yet firm, voice. He sounded very educated himself, she thought. "Hai, Mr. Osawa. As you see I have just graduated. I will admit that I am looking for a position, which will allow me to administer my special skills, but until that time I need to have a full time job. The opportunity presented itself, and so, I decided that I should apply here... and please call me Kagome." Kagome was pleased with her answer. She knew this wouldn't pay a fortune, she just needed a steady job, for now.
The curator leaned forward and shook her hand once more. "We will be pleased to discuss pay with you, Kagome." She agreed and much to her delight she left his office with the job. It had actually paid a little more than she expected as well! Happily she turned the corner to leave the museum. She already had a job before 9:00 in the morning! 'Life is good,' she thought as a Cheshire grin spread across her face. She hopped on to the next bus headed to the university, and had soon delivered her resume to the dean's office. No such luck on landing this job so quickly. Oh well, she wasn't going to let that slow her mood one bit. She couldn't wait to get home so she could tell everyone of her recent good fortune.
She arrived home to find her mom, Souta and Grandpa sitting in the kitchen. Grandpa was giving Souta a lecture on how 'nice girls' should act. Souta was just staring blankly at him and nodding occasionally. Her mom decided to save Souta from Grandpa by sending him to fetch some oil for a squeaky cabinet door. "Grampa, before you go, I have some good news!" Kagome proudly told them of her new job with the museum. They were so happy for her. Her mother hugged her tight. "We are so happy for you, Kagome." Souta suddenly got a big grin on his face. "So does this mean you'll be moving out, and I can have your room?" "Souta, that is not very nice," her mother chastised him for picking at his sister.
"Not right now, you brat," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm going up to call everyone and tell them the good news." She closed the door to her room and picked up the phone. 'Who to call first, she thought. Kenta, of course, dummy.' For some reason, though, she decided she wanted to talk to Ayumi first. She talked to her friend for 30 minutes about the new job. They joked and dreamed of the great apartment that she could get with her new found 'wealth'. They finally ended the conversation and she decided to call Miyu next. Three phone calls later, she heard Kenta's voice on the other line. He was equally excited to hear that she had gotten a nice job so quickly. He told her that he wanted to take her out later to celebrate, and she accepted the invitation graciously.
As she lay back on her bed she smiled and stretched her body. 'Hmm, I think I'll take a nap.' She curled up on her side and drifted off to sleep.