Kagome nervously pressed down the plaid knee length skirt she had adorned before opening the door to Yoro North Child Care. Bright colors assaulted her senses. Every inch of the room had been splattered with many different colors of paint. It appeared that they had then had the children walk around and plant their hands all over the walls as well. It was startling, but also cute and endearing.
"Can I help you?" Came an annoyed sounding voice from across the room.
Kagome looked over and saw a young looking woman sitting behind a desk. The receptionist she assumed. She had long red hair tied back in a high ponytail, bright green eyes, and upon closer inspection, Kagome noticed her pointed ears, similar to an elf, marking her as a demon. Kagome's eyes widened. She hadn't ever met a demon in person before.
"Y-yes. Hello. I'm Kagome. I have an interview with Koga?"
The girl-demon's eyebrow quirked, but she pressed a button on the phone sitting in front of her.
"Yes, Ayame?" Came a voice from the speaker.
"I have a Kaguya-"
"Kagome." Kagome corrected the girl.
Ayame glared at her. "Ka-go-me here for an interview."
"I'll be right up." The speaker clicked off.
Ayame didn't say a word to Kagome and simply eyed her until Koga appeared moments later.
Kagome directed her attention to the man, no, demon she'd noticed, approaching her. He also had long hair tied in a high ponytail, though his was black. His head was wrapped in a tawny brown sweatband. She took in his large cerulean eyes and his own pointed ears as he smiled at her. Strong looking legs were wrapped in dark khaki shorts, his upper half was covered by a tight fitting plain dark gray t-shirt.
"Miss Higurashi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Koga." Kagome took the hand he had outstretched to her.
"Y-yes. Thank you." She stammered.
A mild chuckle escaped Koga's lips. "I apologize for not informing you that this is a demon child care center. We've had some trouble with our demon child care assistants of late and I decided a human might suit our needs better. I assume since you haven't ran for the hills you're atleast willing to have an interview?"
Nodding, Kagome replied, "Yes. Absolutely."
Koga stepped aside and presented his arm to her. "Then lets get to it, shall we?"
Kagome lightly wrapped a hand around the offered arm and allowed him to lead her back to what she assumed was his office. She did not miss the death glare that Ayame was shooting her way as she passed the girl's desk.
Koga led her to a chair and motioned for her to sit as he rounded his desk and took his own seat. Shuffling some papers around to make room, he opened up a notebook and grabbed a pen from a mug on his desk that had a beautiful picture of a wolf howling at the moon.
"So, Miss Higurashi, you're a student at Shikon University?"
Nodding, Kagome said, "Yes. A freshman. I'm studying to become an elementary teacher. Hence why this job enticed me." A smile spread wide across her face at those last words.
A smirk appeared on Koga's face as he wrote something down in his notebook. "Do you have any previous experience that would pertain to child care?"
Her smile faltered slightly. "Not really. Unless you count babysitting my friend's and my little brothers."
Koga nodded and wrote something else down in his notebook. When he looked back up at her, he sighed before asking, "I'm afraid I have to ask the obvious here, Miss Higurashi. Would caring for demon children or associating with their guardians be an issue for you in any capacity?"
Kagome took a moment before answering. "I don't believe so. Not unless some harm was coming to myself or the children. But I hold no prejudice for demons if that's what you mean. However, this is honestly the first time I've even seen one up close." She blushed slightly at her admission.
Koga took in her embarrassment and internally chuckled at the girl. "Not surprising. Most humans live their whole lives without ever meeting one of us, or atleast not knowing they did." He sat back in his chair and rested his hands on his armrests. "I'll be honest with you, Miss Higurashi, we're pretty desperate. I've had no less than 10 caregivers quit or get fired in the last 3 months. I am willing to work around your class schedule of course, but is this job something you're still interested in?"
Kagome took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "May I ask why you've had so much trouble keeping caregivers?"
Koga raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fair enough. We currently have 15 children under our care. Of those, 7 live here. We also serve as an orphanage of sorts for demon children. I myself live here and care for the kids at night, with some assistance from Ayame and 1 or 2 others from our pack upon occasion. Some of our orphans can be a bit... rowdy. They like to play tricks on the caregivers and sometimes they do take things a little far. They are still kids afterall, just ones with claws and fangs. They also can be a bit manic. Most of them lost their parents in violent ways, often bearing witness."
Kagome's hand shot up to her mouth in horror. "As such, they can be more than most can handle." He looked deep into her eyes. "You however, I see a kindness in you that I think may speak to them. In short, Miss Higurashi, I think they may latch onto you simply because you're not one of them and will still treat them as if they were."
Kagome took a moment to take in everything Koga had told her. Steeling her resolve, she nodded to herself before speaking. "If you want to hire me, I'm more than happy to join your team."
Koga's face broke into a wide smile. "Great! We can discuss scheduling and everything later. Right now I would like to introduce you to the kids if you're amenable?"
Standing, Kagome swiped her arm dramatically in front of her. "Lead the way, boss!"
Koga laughed deeply as he stood. "You're going to fit in just fine, I think."
He led her out of his office and down a long, colorful hallway. As they neared a frosted glass door, she could hear loud sounds of crashing items and screaming. He paused briefly, "Brace yourself, Miss Higurashi," and opened the door.
All of her senses were immediately assaulted. She instinctively covered her ears when a loud crack of what sounded like thunder blasted and closed her eyes to the accompanying blinding flash of light. After the initial shock, she slowly opened her eyes and lowered her hands. Kagome gasped at the sight before her.
The room was a total destructive mess. Smoke billowed from an area of the floor that had a small black mark. Several of the children were cowering in a far corner behind two adult male demons. Two boys who looked no older than maybe ten were crouching low, facing off against a smaller boy, maybe five or six in appearance.
"Hiten! Manten!" Koga shouted. Kagome jumped slightly at the unexpected loudness. The two older boys looked at Koga and immediately backed down. "Just what in the hell do you two think you're doing?" Koga asked as he stepped menacingly into the room towards the boys.
One of the boys turned and faced Koga, straightening up and puffing his chest out. Kagome looked at the boy closely. He mostly appeared human, with the exception of his bright red eyes and pointed ears. His hair was long and black, braided down his back.
The boy pointed to the smaller child and yelled, "He started it! He used his stupid spinning top on Shoten!"
Koga kneeled down next to the smaller boy and placed a hand on his back, causing the kit to jump. When he realized who had touched him, he uncurled himself and Kagome got her first good look at him. This child had bright orange hair tied in a small ponytail high on his head. His feet were paws and a fluffy tan tail protruded from his behind. His eyes were large and a beautiful emerald green.
"Shippo, is that true?" Koga asked. Shippo ran a hand under his nose and nodded once. Standing, Koga turned back to the other two boys. "Hiten, I don't care who started it. You know the rules. No powers are to be used in a malicious manner." He towered over the boys and crossed his arms. "Do I make myself clear?" Obviously sulking, the three boys nodded once each and slumped their shoulders.
Turning around, Koga faced the other two adults in the room. "Ginta, Hakkaku, this is Kagome Higurashi. Our new caregiver." An audible gasp resounded through the room. "You two can get to know her later. Tell Ayame to come here then go to my office. Now." His tone of voice left no room for argument.
"Yessir." They both said in unison as they hurriedly skirted past Kagome and out of the room. She turned her attention back to Koga just as he was making his way back to her. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and addressed the room.
"Class, this is Miss Kagome. She is going to be your new caregiver. As you can see, she is human. So be gentle with her." He turned his head slightly in her direction and winked at her. Her face tinted red. Turning his attention back to the three boys, Koga gestured to them with his hand and spoke softly to her, "These three troublemakers are Shippo, Hiten and Manten. They all are orphans and Hiten and Manten are brothers with their younger sister Shoten over there." He pointed at a small girl in the larger group who greatly resembled Hiten.
Kagome looked back at the brothers and really took them in. Maten looked nothing like his siblings. As a matter of fact, he didn't look human at all. Honestly, he looked more like a frog than a person. Kagome winced at her thought. She did notice he had a small braid in the back of his otherwise bald head. This was the only feature he seemed to share with his siblings.
Koga pointing to the larger group caught her attention and she turned towards them. Slowly, he steered her closer to the group and began naming them in succession from right to left. "Kai and Shinta, brothers and members of my own tribe. Sakimitama, she's orphaned and living here. Kanna, Moryomaru and Hakudoshi, all siblings with a single father. Jinenji, an orphan. Shiori, our last orphan. And finally we've got Ai, Asagi, and Moegi, all sisters."
Kagome looked at each child as he introduced them. To her, they all just looked like scared, curious kids, just with some different features or eccentricities. Nothing about these children scared her in the slightest. She smiled at them, hoping to alleviate their fears. Slowly, some of them seemed to warm to her kind aura. The sound of the door opening behind her drew her attention away from the children. She turned to see Ayame standing just inside the door, once again glaring at her.
"Ginta said you needed me?" she said tersely.
"Ah yes. Please watch the kids for a few minutes while I go knock some sense into those two idiots will you, Ayame?"
The girl smiled brightly at Koga. "Of course, Koga."
Koga once again placed his hand at the small of Kagome's back and began leading her out of the room."Miss Higurashi," he addressed her as they exited and started back in the direction of his office, "please leave your class schedule at the front desk. I will look it over and figure out what your schedule will be. I unfortunately must attend to... some business. I will call you later tonight if that's alright?"
"Oh, of course! Thank you so much." Kagome exclaimed excitedly as he reached his office door and stopped.
"Fantastic. I look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me..." Koga opened his door and stepped inside, leaving her in the hallway alone.
Smiling to herself, Kagome made her way back up to the front of the building. Stopping at Ayame's desk, she contemplated whether she should actually write down her schedule and just leave it there. She was afraid Koga would mysteriously not receive it if she left it in the hands of the curiously angry woman. Sighing, she decided she could always call Koga later and make sure he had received it and wrote it down on a post it note, marking 'Kagome's Schedule' clearly at the top.
Exiting the child care center, Kagome couldn't help feeling utterly elated. How many people got an opportunity like this one? She pulled out her phone, remembering the person who had even told her about it in the first place.
I got the job! Thank you so much! It's a huge opportunity for me.
Feeling his phone vibrate, InuYasha pulled it from his back pocket and glanced at it. He couldn't help the small smile that sprung to his lips upon reading it was a text from Catwoman.
That's awesome. It was really no big deal
Yes it is! Let's just say that not many people get a chance to do what I'm going to be doing.
Take care of other people's brats?
It's more than that.
How?
It's hard to explain. I'll just say they're a little more special needs than average kids.
Oh. So you get to take care of other people's special brats. Got it.
Ugh! You're exasperating!
That's a big word for a special brat babysitter. InuYasha couldn't help but chuckle at himself for that one.
Hey! I was valedictorian of Tagara High tyvm!
Ooo. Fancy.
Darn right.
Darn? Really? C'mon now princess.
Princess?!
Yep.
ARRRGH!
Ahoy wench
You are such a...
Yes?
I swear if I ever see you again I'll...
You'll what?
Miroku waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Earth to InuYasha."
InuYasha's eyes looked up from under his bangs at him. "What?"
Quirking an eyebrow at his friend, Miroku answered, "You've been pretty engrossed in whatever conversation you're having over here for the last 10 minutes. Bit weird for you, man."
InuYasha narrowed his eyes at the man and gave him a low warning growl. "Mind your own damn business."
A small smirk played across Miroku's features, but he knew better than to test his friend's patience. He returned to his own bed, opening his laptop back up to complete his homework for his morning class.
Satisfied that his dumbass room mate would shut the fuck up, InuYasha returned his attention to his phone screen.
I'll swat your nose!
InuYasha's lips pursed in confusion. What the hell did that mean?
Excuse me?
Um, you know, cause you were a fox?
Clarity rang through his mind. She was trying to be funny and compare him to a dog because of his 'costume'. If she knew how close to the truth she really was...
Ha. Ha. Wench.
You're impossible.
Sure am.
A moment later- Wench.
InuYasha actually chuckled aloud. He was kind of enjoying poking fun at the girl.
Why you!
What? *innocent face emoji*
I swear you're going to regret that.
Doubt it.
We'll see.
Guess we will. Bye wench.
Bye you vexing man.
InuYasha smiled to himself as he put his phone in his pocket. For some reason he wished the girl would hold true to her promise.
The next few days went by without hearing from Catwoman. InuYasha had debated whether he should text her or not. He didn't want her to think he was creepy or something. But he had to admit it had felt like something was off without her presence, as small as it had been. Even he had noticed he had become more irritable of late, though he was unwilling to admit it when Miroku not so subtly pointed it out.
"You're being a real asshole, dude. I don't know what the hell is up with you, but figure it out before I have to kick you, ok?"
InuYasha glared at his friend. "Like you even could," he growled.
Miroku cocked his head to the side and smirked. "Try me, dog-boy."
Huffing, InuYasha just crossed his arms over his chest. "You ain't worth the trouble."
Sighing, Miroku tried a different tactic. "Seriously, dude, what's up?"
Sitting silently for several moments, InuYasha debated whether he should answer the jerk. But deep down he knew that he was trying to be helpful, and who knows? Maybe he could be. "I haven't heard from her since Monday."
Confusion crossed Miroku's face before clarity sunk in. He chuckled. "This is about that girl? The one you don't even know the name of?" He received nothing but a glare in reply. Shaking his head, Miroku said, "Look, dude, you do know that texting works both ways, right? Like, you can text her."
Redfaced, InuYasha spat out, "Of course I know that, dumbass!" Then looking away and speaking more softly, "I just... I didn't want to be weird or whatever."
"This coming from the only one in the room with dog ears." Miroku couldn't help but poke fun at his friend. He actually grabbed his stomach from laughing at his own joke. When his laughter finally subsided, the human man was greeted with the very angry face of a hanyou. He put his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. "I was kidding, InuYasha. Look, just ask her something innocuous. Like, didn't you say she got a new job or something?"
"Yeah..." InuYasha said cautiously.
"Then just ask her how it's going. Simple, effective, and most of all, creep free."
A hopeful look crossed the hanyou's face. "You really think that'll work?"
Shrugging, Miroku stated, "I can't promise. But it's innocent enough to probably not cause her alarm. You won't know unless you try. Or are you a coward?"
If it wasn't for the fact that InuYasha knew Miroku was again joking he would've punched the stupid shit eating grin off his face. Instead he settled for a growl in his direction. "I ain't no fucking coward, asshole." He said through gritted teeth.
"Then text her and stop moping. It's a real buzz kill."
InuYasha glared at his friend as he slung his bag over his shoulder and left for his Friday evening class. Sighing, he pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the message app for several minutes. Finally, he cursed himself internally. 'I really am a damn coward if I can't even type a fucking sentence.' With renewed determination, he clicked on her name and began typing.
Haven't heard how that new job is going
Kagome looked up from the textbook she had been engrossed in when she heard her phone ding. Picking it up, she couldn't help the smile that came to her lips when she saw who the message was from.
It's great actually. My boss seems to really like me. Most of the kids have already warmed up to me. The only bad part is the receptionist. She just doesn't seem to like me for some reason.
Really? She's fucking dumb then. There's nothing about you not to like.
Kagome blushed at the compliment. I'm not perfect. There's things about me that would give you nightmares! :P
*eye quirked emoji* That so?
You bet. I'm scary.
I'm shaking.
You should be. I'm pretty scary when I'm mad. Or so I've been told.
Feh. You still haven't got me back for the other day so I'm not convinced.
Don't tempt me. I know where you live.
I ain't scared of you wench.
Back to that are we?
Yep. I like it. Suits you.
Does it now?
Yep.
How so? I promise I'm not a whore, despite that outfit you saw me in.
Shit! No! I didn't mean it like that. I kinda forgot it could mean that.
That's like the only meaning.
No it's not. It's like respectful slang for cool women.
Is it now?
Look it up. I swear.
Kagome did actually look it up.
Wench-
An admired woman in your crew, a talented warrior seductress, that can inspire adventure or take a bland situation and make it rife with excitement.
Hmm. Alright. I forgive you.
Thanks wench. ;)
Nothing going on tonight over there?
Not tonight. They usually only do a party like once a month. Thank kami.
Not a fan are we?
Nope. Don't really like large groups of people. Add alcohol and it's just 10 times worse.
So why were you at that one?
It was several minutes before he responded. Kagome was honestly afraid she had overstepped until she finally got a reply.
Forced into it. Brothers have to attend frat functions. It's like frat law or something.
So if you don't like parties, and you don't seem to really like your frat brothers, why are you even there?
My friend is a brother. He convinced me to do it. Plus it's a free place to stay while I'm in school and I kinda need that.
I'm sorry.
Feh. Ain't your fault. Was my choice.
Doesn't sound like you had much of a choice.
Suppose not.
I wish I could help.
I'm alright. You work on becoming the best damn brat babysitter there is wench
*eyeroll emoji*
Kagome noticed it had been almost an hour since they had started this conversation. As much as she hated to type what she did next, it had to be done.
I'm sorry but I have to get back to studying. I have to work all weekend so I have to get all my studying done tonight. Goodnight.
Night wench.
She couldn't help but smile at the nickname.
