Inuyasha not mine.

A/N: I've been going to this site (which is very popular for bloggers and LJ users) where you can create dollies. I made some'paper dolls' of characters in both of my fics and posted in search for the account shinomori (underscore) 07 to go see them and tell me what you think about them. i'll be posting more...

Chapter 16: Familiarity

"Are you sure we have the right address?" Jakotsu asked for the millionth time. He was just a bit shell-shocked after learning the address of their new client, Izayoi Yuukan, Inuyasha Yuukan's mother.

Redbrook Valley Boulevard was a subdivision for the well-to-do people. It was a quiet neighbourhood about forty-five minutes outside the city. Many referred to it as the sanctuary of the rich people.

"4080!" Sango nearly screamed as she spotted the number sign. "That's the house," she told Jakotsu, checking the piece of paper she was holding.

Jakotsu peered in closer from the driver's seat. "More like a mansion, baby. Look at those big gates. I bet there's a security camera and intercom just outside of those," he said all knowingly as he slowly stirred the wheel. He was right. Before anyone passed the gigantic, steel gates, one had to go through security check-up. "Geez. These people here are rich. First we have to go through security to be able to get inside the subdivision. Then this?"

Sango kept quiet. She was a bit of a nerve-wreck since the previous day. Izayoi Yuukan contacted her at the shop and 'formally' acquired her services. Inuyasha's mother asked if they could immediately start with the planning and preparations. She patiently watched as Jakotsu supplied the necessary information to the security (through the intercom). Within minutes, the gate was automatically opened.

"Someday, I'm gonna get me this kinda house, sistah," Jakotsu snickered, as the car carefully went around the huge driveway. "Who knows, some rich man might whisk me away anytime soon. You think this Inuyasha boytoy of yours has an older brother or somethin'?"

Sango glared at him. "He's not my boy-toy… whatever you mean by that. Plus, I should kindly ask you to behave, okay?"

"I'm always behaved. Just watch me," Jakotsu winked at her as he parked the car.

A woman, probably in her late-fifties, was already waiting for them at the last step of the entryway. She gave them a warm and hearty smile as the two florists stepped out of the car. "Hello. Sango Meiyo?"

Sango nodded, walking towards the approaching woman. She extended a hand. "Good morning, Mrs. Yuukan. This is my assistant, Jakotsu Yokoubo."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yokoubo. Please, just call me Izayoi," she gently shook the extended hand of both.

Jakotsu waved a hand in the air, aware that his clothing hid his true personality. "Please, my lovely Ms. Izayoi. I'm a Miss Yokoubo. All my dresses are in the laundry so I have to wear such 'manly'," he paused, rolling his eyes as he tugged at his polo shirt. "Clothing. But, you can just call me Jakotsu too," he winked at her in a flirty and girlish manner which prompted laughter from Izayoi.

"It's Jakotsu, then. Oh," she clamped a hand over her mouth. "Forgive my manner. Come inside you two. We'll have lunch before we discuss business."

The moment the two stepped inside the house, both simply couldn't ignore the fact of how beautiful the place was. The house, or mansion as Jakotsu referred to it, had a comfortable, warm and homey feeling to it. The decors were simple but exuded elegance. Sango couldn't help marvel at the splendour of it all. Jakotsu's eyes darted all around.

"My, my. Ms. Izayoi, what a lovely castle you have here," he gushed as his gaze lingered on a small painting of an oriental castle by a waterfall.

Izayoi gave them a small laugh. "Thank you. This house had been in the family ever since. A little too big, I must admit, now that my two boys have left home."

"So… Inuyasha does have a brother!" exclaimed Jakotsu, momentarily forgetting to behave. "He's a cutie, that son of yours." Sango wanted to crawl away.

Izayoi couldn't help but giggle. Jakotsu was an amusing individual after all. "A cutie you say? You think so too, Ms. Meiyo?" she asked in a harmless way, yet Izayoi somehow wanted to find out something.

Sango didn't know how to respond to that. Was there a hidden meaning behind the statement; or was it said in a neutral way. "Please, just call me Sango," was her only answer.

Soon, they were led to the garden where Izayoi usually had her breakfast and lunch especially if the weather was beautiful. Jakotsu instantly shed off any inhibitions as he found it easy to chat with Izayoi, while Sango, on the other hand, remained silent and only talked if addressed. Throughout of it all, Sango was able to observe the mother of the man she fell in love with. Izayoi, for the most part, was very much unlike Inuyasha. The woman exuded gentleness and demureness. She was very feminine and prim. Her ways were soft and delicate.

"Sango, my dear," Izayoi turned to her snapping her back to reality. "How did you and Inuyasha meet?"

Sango didn't know where to start. She could say at the hospital; but could she leave the part of her daily trips in his room during his state of unconsciousness? Then a new kind of realization hit her. Izayoi, as she suddenly remembered, was the woman who was crying at the waiting room. There were no words exchanged between the two of them, only a smile of encouragement and of hope.

At the same time, as Izayoi stared at her, waiting for an answer, she also realized the familiarity of Sango's face. Yet, she could not place Sango in her memory. Izayoi was positive though that she had seen Sango before; she was just not sure when and where. Perhaps she would find the time to ask her, when the two were more acquainted, but not at the moment. Maybe it would be best to ask Inuyasha instead.

Jakotsu chose to answer for her. "They met at the City Plaza, where boss here hit Inu on the head. Since then, Inu keeps coming by the shop and asking boss to lunch. I think it was love at first sight," he said dreamily. Sango kicked him from under the table. "Ow. Don't kick me!" he hissed but loud enough for other people to hear.

Izayoi only laughed. If she was having some alarming thoughts she hid it very well. It was not her place to question Sango for what her assistant had just said. Inuyasha should be the one she would question. It was time to change the subject. "So, what kind of flowers would be best to use for such an occasion?"

Alas, a change of subject! Sango immediately beamed. She just loved talking about flowers, and giving people advices regarding them. "Well, it really depends whether there's a particular type you would want. Also, it would suit best if you already have a motif for the party. Many simply based their motifs though on their favourite flower."

"Hmm… Actually, I don't have a motif at the moment. I was so busy thinking of how many guests or what kinds of food to serve." Izayoi gave the two a sheepish look. "In all honesty, my dears, I haven't hosted a party in nearly five years."

"Then, Madam! Sango here may be a florist but she's also a good party planner," Jakotsu chimed in. he was clapping his hands, proud to promote Sango's talents.

Izayoi turned to Sango. "Then maybe you could also be my party planner, Sango. I haven't had time to contact one as of yet. As I've told Inuyasha, I'm still on the early stages of planning. Nothing major yet."

Sango could only nod. Her job as a florist usually involved with some major party planning that was why she took a one-year course from a community college to learn the basics. It helped her become a successful florist, and the benefits were piling up at the moment. The discussion and planning ensued once more. Jakotsu and Sango were soon led to the living room. Sango observed Izayoi was getting more and more excited as she soon started mentioning the particular kinds of flowers to use. It turned out she and Inuyasha's mother had the same admiration to flowers. They got along perfectly well.

The three seemed to have forgotten the time as it passed by quickly but the progress of the planning was excellent. The casual chatter though was soon disrupted by the arrival of Izayoi's eldest son, much to Jakotsu's drooling.

"What a hottie!" Jakotsu hissed in Sango's ear while Izayoi went on to greet her son. Sango simply nudged him on the side. "You already have Inu. This one's mine!" he whispered once more adding a little girlish giggle. Sango only mouthed the word 'behave' much to Jakotsu's chagrin.

"Sesshoumaru, sweetie, these are my two lovely party planners. Jakotsu and Sango, this is my eldest son, Sesshoumaru," Izayoi pulled Sesshoumaru to introduce the two.

Sango and Jakotsu immediately stood up from their seats and muttered a 'good afternoon'. The newcomer only gave them a slight nod in acknowledgement. Inuyasha had once mentioned his brother to Sango. She was also aware of Inuyasha's apparent dislike to his older brother. He once claimed the guy, this Sesshoumaru, was cold, aloof, unemotional, and downright dangerous. Sango felt the chills when Inuyasha's brother pierced him with golden eyes. It was the same eyes like Inuyasha's but it was more intense. Sango was able to understand why Inuyasha disliked his brother. She turned her eyes away from his scrutinizing gaze.

"So… you're Inu's brother?" Jakotsu asked the obvious as he advanced towards the tall man. Sango but her lip, tugging at his shirt. Jakotsu still managed to make his way towards Sesshoumaru. He extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. I must say, you're better looking than Inu," he said in a very high-pitched voice.

Sesshoumaru glared at the extended hand but shook it the moment he felt his mother gently jabbed him at the side. He turned to his mother. "You have an appointment with Dr. Takani. Jakken is unavailable to drive you there. Dad told me to pick you up."

Izayoi clamped a hand on her mouth. "Oh my. How time flies. Inuyasha's supposed to drive me there, though."

Sango noticed Sesshoumaru smirking. "The fool is stuck at work, dad said."

Izayoi sighed. "Very well." She walked towards Sango. "My dear. It's a mistake on my part that I forgot I have an appointment at five. I'm so sorry. Could the two of you come by again for lunch tomorrow?" she asked.

Sango nodded. Whatever the client asked, she should agree. "Of course, Mrs. Yuukan. We should also be going now," she gave the same smile to Inuyasha's mother. In her surprise, Izayoi hugged her gently then hugged Jakotsu.

"I'm so glad. I'll see the two of you to the door." She turned to Sesshoumaru. "You should eat first before we go. Have Shouga fix you something."

Sesshoumaru only nodded. He didn't even give Sango and Jakotsu, much to his disappointment, one look.

Once back inside Jakotsu's car, Jakotsu wrinkled his smooth lady-like face. "Inu's brother… He maybe the hottest, handsomest guy I've ever seen but he's stone cold. No amount of warmness in him! Did you see the way he stared at my hand? Well, excuse me, mister! Oh well. You told me Inuyasha's not your boy-fwend?" he asked Sango but he didn't wait for an answer. "Well, I much prefer Inu. So if you don't want him, can I have him?"

Sango only glared at him. In her mind, only she could have Inuyasha. She snorted out loud, prompting Jakotsu to inspect her curiously. She ignored him. 'If only he could be mine,' she thought to herself.

OOOooOOooOOOooOOooOOOooOOooOOOooOOooOOOooOOooOOOooOOooOOO

Sesshoumaru only drank a cup of black coffee. He didn't want to spoil his appetite for a special dinner date with a special woman. But that was beside the point. What was mind boggling to him was the presence of the young woman, or the party planner as his mother introduced, inside his childhood home.

If memory served right, she was the exact same woman whose brother had a room next to Inuyasha's at the hospital (back when Inuyasha was still on a coma). She was the woman who constantly 'visited' his brother, as Sesshoumaru had found out.

Now, the question would be, why was she the party planner? Was it all a coincidence? Was she Inuyasha's stalker, or simply someone out to take on Inuyasha for revenge or something?

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes at himself. Lately, his thoughts were becoming as eccentric and crazy like hers (1).

Izayoi entered the room, distracting his wild thoughts of a red-eyed beauty. She smiled brightly at her son. There was something behind that smile; and Sesshoumaru had seen it. He looked at her as if asking 'what'. Izayoi shrugged. "Lately, you've been here in the city. I mean, aren't you supposed to go back to the country? Why have you postponed the wedding? Is there anything wrong with your relationship with Koura?" She just kept on asking questions.

"Nothing is wrong," was his answer to all his mother's questions. He instantly changed the subject. "The woman, that Sango, she seemed familiar."

Izayoi furrowed her brows, nodding a bit. "I know. The longer I looked at her, the more I feel I've seen her before." Sesshoumaru arched a brow. "She's Inuyasha's friend; but I'm sure we haven't been introduced by Inuyasha before. Your brother only referred her to me for flower arrangements."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Perhaps because she frequently visited Inuyasha at the hospital when he was in a coma."

"What?"

"I've seen her in the hospital before. I inquired from the nurses' station. She had a sick brother whose room was right beside the idiot's," Sesshoumaru slight gave a shrug.

Izayoi, for the moment, let go of Sesshoumaru's rude referral to his brother. She was more concerned with what she was hearing. "I hope Inuyasha's not cheating on Kagome." Izayoi let her thoughts out loud. She vaguely recalled Jakotsu said Inuyasha met Sango at the City Plaza. It was love at first sight, Jakotsu said.

"If he is, I wouldn't be surprised. Both Kagoema nd Inuyasha are immature, silly fools."

"Sesshoumaru!" Izayoi gave him a slight warning. "I will have another talk with your brother. We couldn't possibly announce his engagement to Kagome at the party if he was feeling unsure about his feelings." Izayoi's thoughts wandered to the image of Sango. She seemed like a nice, strong-minded girl who wouldn't subject herself to such act (such as having a relationship with a committed man). Unless…

Unless Inuyasha was fooling Sango as well.

"Oh dear God," Izayoi mumbled. She would surely have another long, heart-to-heart with her youngest son. Izayoi wouldn't let Inuyasha hurt two girls, while on the process of hurting himself as well.

"You will be late for your appointment," Sesshoumaru's monotone voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Izayoi could only nod.

(1) "her" pertains to the woman in my fanfic it's all YOUR fault!

if there are any typos or grammatical errors pls let me know.

Thank you to all of you who reviewed: animefreak03, shezel, edxwinry, gothontheinside824, peacemaker, kurokitsune-chan, mystikoorime, lord of swords and waffles, dudei'mlikesobus, demonrader33, sango fan, and QT. All of you very wonderful readers and reviewers humble me so. Thank you for the continued support. I hope the INUSAN fanbase will never lose interest in this couple. (sorry, I'm being sentimental here bcoz the AoshiMeg fanbase in the RK fanfic world are vanishing).

Anyways… next chapter will be the heart-to-heart talk bw mother and son. Will inu finally sort out his confusing feelings and finally give sango a reason to REALLY smile?