A/N: All right, my adoring readers, here is chapter 5 of Breaking the Rules. Only 3 more chapters to go everyone until this short story is completed! This one I hope to finish up soon, and keep working on Curse of the Gypsy and Safer on the Outside. I'm also starting work on the first of my 3-part AU series I've nicknamed The Drama Club. (Check out my bio for summaries!) Expect the first chapter for that soon. Stick with me, my fans, for I aim to please and I'm feeling verrrrrry romancy! Oh, and before I forget! My most successful fanfic A Fighter's Story, has been nominated for Elimination. I would appreciate everyone's vote when the next round begins. Please check out my bio for the link!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha-- never have and never will-- you got that?
Breaking the Rules
Chapter 5: Never A Sure Thing
Kagome's PoV
There are several things a girl learns very early on in life. Never get into a car with strangers. Never let anyone treat you less because you're not like them. And most importantly, any man you like must be approved by your family if the relationship's ever going to work. The first two loves of my life didn't meet this standard.
Now I'm not saying that Inuyasha would become number three-- or even that I liked him in more than a sexual way, because that's not what I mean-- what I mean is that to keep up this little guise, I would hope that my family would like him. That would make my life a whole lot easier.
When I spoke to my mother, and she convinced me to bring Inuyasha home, I was nervous. Funny thing is, it wasn't so much the fact for Inuyasha to meet Mom and Grandpa. He would utterly charm them-- he was polite when the situation called for it, he respected me, and he was rich. Those are the three commandments any man must meet when dating someone's daughter.
I was actually more nervous about going home. Since I had left for college when I was eighteen, I hadn't gone back to my old home in New Jersey. Maybe that was stupid of me, holding on to such a fear and apprehension of going back to the place that once held so much joy for me. Mostly it was because that place held so many memories that I just couldn't face it. What was worse was that Naraku would be coming to my mother's home to interview my family for the endorsement, which did nothing to ease my tension.
That, among other things, was part of the reason I invited Sango-- who in turn invited Miroku. I asked Kagura, but as I expected she had to take a rain check-- too much to do in so little time. Souta and the other two knuckleheads would undoubtedly show up sometime over the weekend as well. This would help, having those I love around me, for moral support. Maybe it was time for me to grow up, and face my fears once and for all. I just hope this wouldn't turn around and bite me in the ass.
But with my luck, I wouldn't be surprised.
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Kagura sat at the table in the dimly lit restaurant, tapping her salad fork against her empty plate with an annoyed expression. She had taken time out of her oh-so-busy schedule for this dinner, and her companion was already twenty minutes late.
"Typical Sesshomaru," she sighed to herself. And it was. When they had been together, he was perpetually late due to business, and he never called. In the beginning, it had annoyed her to no end, but that was when she was young and impatient and utterly in love. After they had been together for a while, she had fallen into the pattern of expecting the unexpected, and knowing his routine by heart.
It had been five years. Though many things had changed over that time, they hadn't changed much at all, so it seemed. He was still married to his business, still keeping to the same regimen he had been forced into when he inherited his father's money and responsibilities. She, for all her newfound success, was still searching for meaning in her world, for a purpose other than simply surviving in this cutthroat world.
Kagura could never for the life of her understand what had attracted her to Sesshomaru in the first place. She had been fresh on an internship at his company, barely twenty-two at the time, still naïve and young. He wasn't much older than she was, just under twenty-five. It just seemed like a good thing at the time.
But things always got messy when hearts were involved. In her earlier college years she had been a heartbreaker and a tease. No one ever held her interest long, through no fault of their own. She was just hard to please. Picky, her family had always called her. Kagura never cared; her heart was only in the chase, not the rewards.
Then, for the first time in her life, she met a man who didn't want to chase. She had been annoyed, then intrigued, then far gone. By the time she looked around, she already knew that she was head over heels in love with the man. Frighteningly, painfully, desperately in love with him to be more exact. She was now the one giving chase, and it took her a little while to wear him down enough to be caught.
Kagura was persistent, she was faithful, and she was devoted-- two of which she had never been before. And the strangest thing was that she was all three to a man she would have never gone after normally. Sesshomaru wasn't outgoing, he wasn't rebellious or even wild. He was contained and reserved and most of all, he was pensive. Even after their three-year affair, there had been things about him she didn't know. That had always bothered her.
Making no excuses for herself, Kagura was openly one of the romantically impaired. She was different than Kagome in the fact that she did not want to be that way; she wanted to have relationships, to maybe get married one day. She was lonely, and she hated that, but mostly she wanted her future to include the man she had chosen for herself.
That was no longer possible, as things stood, and she was far too stubborn to ever openly ask for him to take her back. If five years wasn't long enough for her treacherous heart to forget Sesshomaru Saishi, than she'd wait ten… fifteen… twenty! Whatever it took.
Determinedly, she sat up straighter in her chair. Yes, she would get over him, the hole he left in her heart would heal and she would find someone who would love her again. She could forget what he had done to her, all those years ago. Forget and move on.
"Hello Kagura." His voice knifed through all her empowered thoughts, sending them spinning back into the void where she had plucked them from. Goddamn it! she cursed herself, cursed him for holding such a power over her. It began to make her doubt her conviction of moving back to a sane place.
"Good evening Sesshomaru," she greeted, standing as the waiter took his coat and he went for his seat. Her heartbeat began to pick up as she took in his appearance, which was as stunningly gorgeous as ever. He looked particularly handsome tonight, making her wonder if the reason behind his tardiness was more personal than a long-running business meeting. "I'm sorry to see old habits are hard to break."
He looked at her with a level golden gaze while seating himself. Sesshomaru was surprised to see her without a trademark business suit. The editor had abandoned her usual garments in favor for a more casual look-- her favorite Valentino dress which was as red as her eyes and did more than a little to accent her stunning appearance. And for an added bonus, she even left her hair down, which was something Kagura hardly ever did.
"One must sacrifice pleasure in the name of business when the time calls for it," was his cool reply.
Kagura smirked and opened her menu. "You know why I've asked you here?" she asked as she scanned the French food titles.
"A little bird told me that your endorsement people have refused all requests to leave my brother alone," he responded.
"Kagome is going home for the weekend after a small interview tomorrow. They're going to go to her house and interview her entire family-- and Inuyasha must be present, considering. I did my best, but his name will be mentioned."
"This means press could get back to me," he stated flatly. "I thought we established I didn't want him to be part of this deal."
"It's not possible to get him out," Kagura explained, controlling her temper, albeit it was difficult. "Like it or not, he's married to her and he will be mentioned. Face it, it's going to get out sometime."
"I had hoped they would have annulled this little charade before it would go that far," Sesshomaru countered. He was not pleased, though he hid his annoyance well.
"Both are very determined about going through with it," Kagura commented dryly. She did not approve of this any more than Sesshomaru did-- but her love of Kagome clouded her judgment. "I'm getting soft in my old age," she growled, rubbing the skin on the bridge of her nose.
"I would hardly call your age old," he retorted. "Though I must admit you are hardly the rough-edged business woman I had hoped you would become."
That stung, and the worse part was that it was not supposed to sting. She should have been proud that she hadn't become what he had hoped she would become; she should have been happy. But Kagura wasn't happy or proud; she was disappointed. In some small corner of her heart, she had done all of this-- her magazine and her empire-- to get back at him. To hear Sesshomaru say that she wasn't what he expected of her… it left her feeling an inch tall.
Kagura closed her menu and removed the napkin from her lap. "I guess this concludes our meeting," she said casually as she stood. "I recommend strongly that you speak to your brother tomorrow before he leave for the weekend. Goodnight, Sesshomaru."
Holding her head high, Kagura walked from the table toward the front desk to retrieve her coat. After that would be the valet hailing her cab and she could go home and cry into a pint of Hagen Daas. Kagura didn't care what she did as long as she never let Sesshomaru see her cry. He had done enough to her without stealing her dignity as well.
"Kagura," he called after her, getting up and following. She could feel his eyes on her back, but she didn't care. She kept walking. She got her coat from the desk without looking at him and she headed outside without listening to him try and stop her. The kicker came when the valet outside hailed her cab-- and he got in with her.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him. "Get out!"
"No," was his simple answer. Then he gave the driver his address and the car took off. "We're not finished here."
"What the hell else do we have to discuss?" she scoffed. "I failed, okay?! I couldn't protect Inuyasha or you or Kagome. There, now you got me to say it." Angry tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she would not let them fall, no matter what. "Does that make you happy?"
Sesshomaru only looked at her, emotions cleverly in check-- as always. Kagura wanted to cry just then, cry for the girl she had been when she had lost her heart to this man, but mostly to cry for the woman who still chased him in spirit. Karma was punishing her.
"Kagura, it doesn't make me happy that you're distraught," he commented.
"I'm not distraught," she said indignantly. "Distraught would be me crying into a handkerchief while watching the Lifetime channel. This is me being overworked, overtired, and overstressed."
He had no retort for that, and they were silent the rest of the ride to his apartment. Sesshomaru got out of the cab, paid the driver, and then opened Kagura's door to help her out. She purposely refused his hand as she stood. Not surprised in the least that he lived in the same place now as he had before, Kagura simply sashayed past him and toward the stairs. Sesshomaru smirked lightly to himself as he followed, opening the door for her and then walking to the elevator.
"So talk to me," she demanded. "What else have we to discuss?"
"What will become of your magazine if you are denied this endorsement?" he asked calmly.
Kagura looked away from him, ruby eyes angry and quickly filling. Fuck, you are so weak, she mentally yelled at herself even as the first few tears overflowed. Life was so unfair. "If we don't get the endorsement, The Winds is done. I invested all of my reserve funds into our expansion and if it doesn't go through, there isn't enough left to continue the production even on one coast distribution."
"So this is a sink or swim deal," Sesshomaru summed up, looking toward her as the door opened on his floor. Kagura walked out without looking at him, head down, fists clenched. He followed, frowning slightly.
"Go ahead and joke about it," she snapped back at him once she reached his door. "This isn't your livelihood on the line."
Sesshomaru chose not to reply as he unlocked his door and opened it for her. He never stopped to think why she was coming to his apartment, or why he even wanted her there. The hurt between them had run deep on both sides, but here he was, bringing her home in an attempt to ease her worried mind.
His apartment, still immaculate and artistic, was just as she remembered it to be. It was both comforting and foreboding at the same time. Long had she dreamed of coming back to this place-- leave it to be when she least wanted to be there. Hoping he wouldn't notice, Kagura quickly swiped at the moisture running down her face. As he luck would have it, he noticed.
He walked right over to her and tilted her face back to get a good look. She glared up at him, but didn't have the heart or the strength to pull away. "Satisfied?" she whispered angrily.
"You've never been a woman to shed a tear lightly," he replied, wiping what was left from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"What makes you think you know the first thing about me?" she snapped, now pulling from his hold. "What was between you and me ended a long time ago. I've changed since then."
"So have I," he shot back, temper rising in his own right. "That doesn't mean I don't still know some things about you." He shook his head and turned away. "There are some things that never change, Kagura."
"But there are things that do," she said as a fresh wave of tears descended from her fiery eyes. "There are things that must."
"Are you referring to us?" he asked with the slightest hint of dark humor in his voice.
"If you want to take it that way," was her retort.
"You are not the only one who is allowed pain, Kagura." At that she laughed, laughed and sobbed at the same time. Her dignity was gone; why try to hide it? He took her laughter as an insult, and his frown returned. "I was not the one who ended things between us. That was you, Kagura."
"I couldn't do it anymore," she yelled at him. "I couldn't watch you kill yourself for a ghost. I didn't want to spend my life in a one-sided relationship."
"You doubted me?" he asked quietly, anger turning to stun.
"I didn't doubt your affection for me," she spat at him, bitterness evident. She never had told anyone the reasons behind her split with Sesshomaru, but now she felt like throwing it all in his smug face. "I was good for sex and appearances, but nothing else. You never let me help you. You never let me see you. I was trapped in this place, kept out by those walls you always kept around you. I was all alone, and I couldn't live that way."
She turned her back on him, hands covering her face. For so long she had tried not to think of this, tried not to remember the pain it all caused her. Yet here she was, right back where it started.
"Kagura…" What could he say, really? She was right, he knew that, but how could he possibly tell her that? How could he ask her to go back to something that made her miserable just because he was miserable without her? It was unfair, but he wanted to. He wanted to beg her to come back into his life for good, but he wouldn't. Maybe it was pride that kept his tongue in check, but mostly it was the broken heart she left him with. He didn't want that pain again.
"You loved me," she whispered, still not looking at him. "But you loved your work more." She sighed in defeat, running a hand through her hair and over her face. "I should go home," she said with a sigh that seem to come from the core of her being. "I'm tired."
As she walked to the door, he stopped her with a hand against the white wood. Kagura turned, ruby eyes meeting gold for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. It still seemed to echo through the empty apartment. It was an apology meant for many things, for all things, for everything.
"Are you?" she asked. Part of her needed to know it was real, that he meant it. She was sorry, sorry with all of her soul that she wasn't enough to heal him, to help him. Kagura had felt unworthy, less than she should have been when she left. Now, her fragile self-assurance was shaking, threatening to break all over again on the words of this man. The only man she had ever loved, and, in her heart she knew this to be true, the only man she would ever love.
"The only thing in this world that I am sure of," he responded. He sounded at once hesitant and sure. Truth was in his words, in his eyes, in his heart. Kagura was sure of it. That was the only reason she did the single most selfish thing she had ever done. She grabbed on to Sesshomaru and kissed him with reckless abandon, until not even the old reasons held truth to her anymore.
She never did manage to leave that apartment.
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Naraku sat in Kagome's office, reapplying his make-up with disinterest. He was already looking flawless, but he needed something to do while waiting for the writer to get there. Kanna sat beside him, her laptop open and jacked into the wall so that she could scan the Internet. He looked over her shoulder and saw that she was uploading some software or other. With a yawn, he looked down at his watch. Kagome was late, and Kanna was not one for conversation. If she didn't get there soon, heads would roll.
Suddenly, the winded writer in question skidded into the room, throwing off her coat and hat. "I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized quickly. "There was an accident and I was stuck in traffic."
"A likely story," Naraku said with a good-hearted grin. "Now, can we get started?"
"Of course," Kagome said with her business politeness. She sat at her desk and crossed her hands over her desk. "Ask away."
Kanna clicked a few screens off her computer and readied to record, fingers still and tense. Naraku smirked before firing out his new questions. "How's married life?"
Kagome had been prepping herself for all manner of questions about Inuyasha and herself, so she was well prepared. "It's difficult, but well worth the trouble," she commented.
"So you enjoy being married?"
Kagome smiled. "I wouldn't recommend it like I would a movie. It takes work and dedication. Marriage is not something to take lightly. Or," she said as a flat afterthought, "to be done on a whim."
"So you're saying marriage is a sacred institution?"
"I'm saying that marriage, like all relationships, should be taken seriously and given the respect it deserves." Her cool demeanor annoyed Naraku. When he had first interviewed her, she had seemed flappable and nervous, jittery would not be a stretch. All of a sudden, she seemed confident and in control. This was not how things were supposed to go. He had to keep her blind and humbled.
"I do hope you don't mind Kanna and me dropping by your mother's home tomorrow," he said, changing the subject. "It is for the investors whom we represent."
Kagome wasn't sure, but she thought Kanna winced slightly. She focused her attentions on Naraku once more, calm and collected, just as Inuyasha had told her to be. "My mother lives for company," Kagome said with a smile. "But I do ask that you not trouble her or my grandfather too much. Grandpa is ill and they are both getting older." With a smile she cracked her knuckles. "But I can tell your focus will mostly be on me and my husband, yes?"
"Probably," Kanna muttered, typing away. Naraku glared at her but the young woman didn't even seem to notice.
"You'll also have the rare privilege of spending time in the company of my little brother," Kagome continued, eyeing Naraku. "He and his two roommates will also be spending the weekend with us."
"How delightful," he said with a fake smile. That was when Naraku's cell phone began to ring, and the tune for Michael Jackson's Thriller filled the office. Kagome smirked and Kanna caught her eye with a smile of her own. Naraku grabbed the phone clipped to his belt and flipped it open. "I'm in a meeting," he hissed.
"You have four days," a voice on the other end said loudly. "Then I want you back out here."
"Will that be enough time to get everything you need?" Naraku said in a low voice, aware that the two women in the room with him could hear every word.
"It will be enough," the deep male voice concluded.
"I understand," Naraku concluded with a nod. Then he hung up. "I'm afraid we'll have to cut this interview short as well," he said suddenly, grabbing his briefcase and motioning for Kanna to leave with him. "We'll see you on Saturday, Ms. Higurashi." With nothing more, they walked out, leaving Kagome blinking confusedly in their wake.
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"Hey San," Kagome called, knocking on the publicist's door before strolling inside. "The endorsement people just took off on me."
Sango sat at her desk, looking over a file before looking up at her friend. "Beg your pardon?"
"Yeah, I was in the middle of an interview with Naraku got a call and then they disappeared, just like that."
"Strange," Sango commented, pulling the glasses from the bridge of her nose as she sat up straighter. "No reason or anything?"
"Nope," Kagome sighed, sitting in the empty chair before the desk. "Guess we'll just have to work harder tomorrow when they come down to the Shrine."
"You really don't want to go, do you?" her friend questioned, hearing the forlorn tone to her voice.
"Not really," Kagome confided. "I'm scared of the ghosts."
"Kags, you've got to face them sometime." Sango smiled sympathetically as she got up and patted her friend's shoulder. "It's all part of being an adult."
"For joy, for joy," the writer sarcastically replied. Sango only laughed. "So you and Miroku are coming down tomorrow morning, right?"
"Bright and early," Sango said with a nod. "The obnoxious trio is coming with us, just to warn you."
"I never expected anything less," Kagome laughed. "I wish Kagura could come though."
"I wouldn't worry too much about Kagura," Sango said with a barely contained smile. "She never came in to work this morning."
"What?" Kagome asked, a little worried. "Where is she?"
"I called her cell. She spent the night with a man." That was when Kagome's jaw fell and Sango burst into hysterical laughter. "It's true! I swear it! I heard his voice in the background and I heard Kagura cursing her head off! It was classic!"
"I can't believe it," Kagome whispered in wonder. "Kagura and me both getting laid within a week-long period. It's a sign of the apocalypse."
"Probably," Sango agreed.
Kagome looked down at her watch and sucked in a breath. "I've got to get out of here, San. The limo is going to pick us up at 4:15."
"Limo?" Sango asked with an arched brow. Kagome grinned happily.
"Inuyasha said he wanted to arrive in style. And I figured, I can live it up a little."
"You are so bad!" Sango laughed.
"I know!" Kagome agreed. "I'm the devil in a Captain Morgan baseball hat." After another fit of giggles, Kagome got up to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, San."
"Bye Kags," Sango waved as her friend left in her usually flurry. With a smile and a little laugh, the publicist went back to work. At least until she was interrupted again.
"Excuse me, Miss Rae?" When Sango looked up, she was surprised to see Yura, Kagura's secretary, hesitantly knocking on the frame to her office door. The secretary was carrying a file under her arm and curled a finger around a lock of her hair nervously. "I'm sorry to bother you."
"Please come in," Sango welcomed her, a little confused by her presence. She offered her the empty chair and Yura happily took it. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I know this might cost me my job," Yura said with a sigh. "But I was looking at some of the finance portfolio." At the look Sango gave her, Yura quickly tried to explain. "I've been going to night school to get my Bachelor's degree in financial business, so I was working on portfolio studies and I wanted to use ours as a reference."
"That's not something secretaries are usually privy to," Sango commented dryly.
"I swear to you that I wasn't doing anything to it." Yura was deadly serious as she met Sango's eyes. "I love this job and I would not do anything to risk it."
Sango was convinced-- partially. "What did you find that brings you here?"
"This," the secretary said, tossing the file on to the desk. "Our reserve funds were tapped earlier in the year when looking for endorsement in the bi-costal project. I noticed a few days ago that large sums of the reserve have been systematically depleted from six different accounts. My guess is that boss lady doesn't know anything about this, but I thought you might want to take a look at it."
Sango scanned over the files and gulped. Yura was right. In the past week, nearly 3 million dollars had been pilfered from their accounts. "Holy fuck," she swore. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Probably not," Yura said. "The only time the financial portfolio is examined is on the 3rd and 30th of the month, when the payments are made."
Sango nodded to herself, burying a hand in her hair. "Okay. I'll get to the bottom of this." She looked up suddenly at Yura. "Don't tell anyone else about this, got it?"
"My lips are sealed," the secretary said as she got up. "Just fix this quick, before boss lady blows what's left of her blood pressure."
"Right," Sango said with a crooked smile.
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He hadn't expected to be nervous. It wasn't like he was meeting his girlfriend's parents. It wasn't like he was searching for approval. Still, for some reason, Inuyasha Saishi was growing more and more nervous the closer he got to the Higurashi homestead.
Kagome was also nervous; he could tell by the way she was fidgeting. It helped that they brought their pets along for the weekend. Kagome always seemed more relaxed when Buyo-- and Jewel-- were around her.
It was almost a two-hour drive to get from the city to Kagome's home town-- a suburban neighborhood near the coastline of the Jersey shore. She looked more and more nervous the closer they got.
"Are you really that freaked out that I'm meeting your family?" Inuyasha asked, finally unable to sit by silently.
Kagome jumped. She had almost forgotten he was there-- which was not a good thing-- and whirled to face him when he spoke. When his words sunk into her head she smiled a little. "No, you'll do fine. I just…" She paused to look out the window. They were close now, only four or five blocks away. "I haven't been home since I was eighteen."
"Why?" Inuyasha pressed. He was curious-- he just couldn't help it! She seemed like such a family-orientated person.
"Because of my Dad," she replied thoughtfully. Inuyasha was about to make a comment, but she overrode him. "We're here!"
And indeed they were. The limo pulled up alongside a large piece of property. A stone staircase led up a hill to where the house was located, and a small wooden fence and line of shrubbery surrounded the entire perimeter of the land. Kagome, for all her nervousness and anxiety, rocketed out of the car when she saw two figures appear on the top steps. Buyo, who was in his crate, started mewing loudly when Jewel leapt out of the car behind Kagome. Inuyasha, with a little reluctance, followed.
"Momma, Grandpa!" Kagome squealed, taking the steps two at a time until she reached the top. Then she threw her arms around them both.
"Oh Kagome, we haven't seen you in so long!" her mother cried in delight.
"Not since Christmas," her grandfather tossed in. His attention quickly shifted from his granddaughter to the man who was casually climbing the steps in her wake. There was a large white dog at his heels, and a cat crate in his hand. Still, he had some kind of dignity that made an old man narrow his eyes. "And this would be…?"
Kagome turned and smiled a little. "Momma, Grandpa," she addressed each in turn. "This is Dr. Inuyasha Saishi… my husband." The last part was added more for dramatic effect.
Inuyasha, by this time, had reached them. He placed Buyo on the ground carefully, so as not to jar the already unhappy cat. This was the moment of truth-- facing the in-laws. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," he said in his most official doctor's voice.
Grandpa Higurashi only glared at him, as if surveying him for evil spirits or demonic energy-- which he was in fact doing. Meanwhile, Kagome's mother smiled in polite welcome and shook his hand. "Welcome to the Shrine, Inuyasha."
He smiled a little in shy acceptance. Kagome nudged him with her elbow and motioned with her head that he should follow her. "Come on, we can all go up to the house and talk."
"Splendid idea, Kagome," her mother said with a nod. "This seems like the kind of situation that calls for tea."
"I second that," her daughter agreed. "Coming Grandpa?"
The old man, who was still glaring at Inuyasha, sniffed loudly and followed. "Well, that tea won't make itself now."
"Don't mind Grandpa," Mrs. Higurashi said with a little frown. "He's always been overprotective and mistrustful of strangers."
"That's all right I guess," Inuyasha commented. Suddenly he grinned over at Kagome, then her mother. "What kind of tea do we have?"
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The house was actually a shrine, a place of worship built for Japanese immigrants back in the twenties, when Kagome's great grandparents had first migrated across the country to New Jersey. Her grandfather, who had been a boy at the time, warmed up to Inuyasha when the young doctor expressed an interest in the history of their home.
Kagome suspected that it was all part of Inuyasha's intricate plan of getting in the good graces of her family, but she was happily surprised when he enthusiastically listened to her grandfather's history lessons-- and even went on a guided tour of the grounds. This left Kagome time with her mother, and time in her home.
"So," her mother asked as they brewed the tea in the kitchen. "Is it really so bad being home?"
Kagome grinned sheepishly. "I haven't been home long enough to answer that question."
Her mother laughed and brushed the stray hair from Kagome's face. "You are too much like your father," she said with a fond smile. "All superstition and drama."
"I know," Kagome agreed. "I am a Capricorn." They shared a laugh and her mother took the tea kettle off the fire as it started to whistle.
"Everyone else is coming down tomorrow?"
"Yes," Kagome agreed. She had already called her mother the day before and explained the situation as it stood regarding the endorsement interviews. The one thing she had conveniently forgotten to tell her mother was the truth behind her marriage-- most importantly, the fact that it was going to end within the next two weeks. Kagome thought it best to let them have this happy time and break it to them later.
"And the two of you came early because…?" Leave it to a mother to ferret at the truth.
"I wanted you and Grandpa to have a little time to get used to Inuyasha. With everything going on tomorrow and everyone around, I figured it best to let you meet him first." Kagome readied the cups as she spoke, her hands moving made it easier for her to bend truths.
"I suppose," her mother allowed, pouring the water. Then, as she watched her daughter out of the corner of her eye, Mrs. Higurashi launched her attack. "He's quite a handsome fellow. And a doctor as well. Any mother would be pleased."
Kagome knew this attack well, but still became nervous. "Yes, he is quite a looker and successful, but that's not why I'm with him."
"Why are you?" This was the real question. One might think this some kind of attack, or more some kind of parental disapproval. It was really the fact that Kagome had never been a woman to pick men that were good for her, and a mother did what she could to save her daughter from pain.
"He's sweet," Kagome stated. She figured it best to use the actual reasons why she was beginning to like Inuyasha as reasons for why she would stay in a relationship with him-- even though there would be no relationship. "He's stable and he makes me laugh. Inuyasha is just an over-all nice guy. The fact that he's easy on the eyes and comes from a good family doesn't hurt."
"I think you want my approval," her mother said as she spooned sugar into the cups. "But I can't give it to you yet."
"I understand," Kagome said.
"No, I don't think you do," her mother replied. "I want to see how he is with you before I make any type of judgment on him. I liked Hojo before I saw what he did to you, and look where that got us."
"I'm sorry, Momma," Kagome said with a sigh. "I know I've screwed up a lot, and I disappointed you."
Mrs. Higurashi wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "I have a lot of faith in you Kagome. Everyone makes mistakes, and you have made up for yours with everything you have done for us over the years. I just want to see you happy, darling."
"I am happy, Momma," Kagome said desperately.
"That's all I want," her mother said with a sigh.
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The tea had been drunk, dinner had been made and served and eaten by the four of them in a comfortable and relaxing setting. Mrs. Higurashi had gone to clear some things from Kagome's old room so it would be safe for Inuyasha and Kagome to stay in there. Grandpa had gone about his usual duties around the Shrine.
Kagome had happily elected herself for clean up duty. As she had told Inuyasha before, kitchen chores often calmed her, and doing them in her old kitchen in her old home made it feel like she was a teenager again. It was a small comfort, but one she could be afforded considering the circumstances. Inuyasha himself explored the house, getting a feel of the place.
In the large and immaculate kitchen, a small radio hung over the sink. Kagome had installed that herself in her youth, and now she happily turned it on, clicking through the stations to one of her favorites. Happily, she went about her work, putting leftovers away, washing and drying the dishes, putting everything in its proper place. If there was one unalterably female thing about Kagome, it was her undeniable domesticity-- she always knew her way around a kitchen.
As Kagome danced about and sung to herself, she never noticed Inuyasha's return. He just casually leaned against the doorframe of the room, arms crossed over his chest, watching her with a kind of humoring smirk. She had a very playful side to her that wasn't indulged nearly enough, and he figured, who was he to interrupt?
Of course, it didn't take Kagome too long to notice him. During one of her spinning movements around the linoleum-- when one is wearing socks, one can slide easily across a smooth surface-- she spotted him in the corner of her eye. And nearly dropped a plate.
"Goddamn it!" she swore. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"
"Sorry," he apologized while still smirking. Now he moved into the kitchen. Kagome only glared at him as he took the plate from her hand and placed it down on the counter.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, a little surprised when he took hold of her waist with one hand and took her hand in the other.
"It's more fun to dance with a partner," he informed her before leading. Kagome was a little confused at first, out of practice and a little embarrassed, but fell into step soon after. How could she let him have one up on her?
"And where did you learn such fancy footwork?" she asked, laughing a little as he spun her out.
"Gym class in high school," he admitted. Kagome only laughed again.
"How did that happen?"
"I went to public school," he informed her. "It's required that all juniors and seniors take a marking period of dance while in gym. Though I have had practice over the years when attending many weddings."
"I wouldn't peg you as the public school type," she admitted.
"You thought I was some kind of trust fund baby who went to the best schools money could buy?" She blushed and it told him that was exactly what she thought. "No, I went to public schools. When my old man died, my inheritance covered medical school and insurance, most of my bills until I got on to my feet, but mostly all of it went to Sesshomaru."
"Because he's older?"
"Because he took over the business," Inuyasha corrected. "I never even pretended to show an interest in Dad's business empire. I wanted to be a doctor and I have since I was eight years old. So the bulk of the estate went to my brother, and I got enough to start myself off."
"I guess that sounds about right," Kagome said with a nod. "You didn't want to be like your father, why spend your life knowing you owe him for everything you have?"
"Pretty much." After another moment of silence, Inuyasha continued. "And what about you, my lady? Were you a public or private school girl?"
"Actually I was home schooled until I was fourteen," she admitted with a grin. "Then I convinced my Dad to let me go to public high school."
"Home schooled, eh?" He nodded and dipped her. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Right about what?" she asked with a laugh.
"Why you seem so set apart from this big wide world," he said in all seriousness.
"I wouldn't say that," she said, furrowing her brow.
"Don't get defensive on me, sweetheart," he smiled. "I mean that as a compliment." Kagome grinned as they continued their little dance across the kitchen.
Neither of them noticed Kagome's mother and grandfather poking their heads in from the other room. "Grandpa," Mrs. Higurashi said with a sigh and a smile. "I think we found a winner."
Grandpa sniffed. "As long as he doesn't try any funny stuff."