Chapter 7: Soon

"Pull closed the zipper
and grab tight all your luggage.
The road is calling."

-Tyler Knott Gregson

They had embraced on the couch for only a few moments more, overwhelming emotion giving way to the inevitable awkwardness of a too-long hug. Kagome pulled away first, offering up a gentle smile before settling back on the couch more comfortably, Inuyasha falling in next to her after creating space for his feet on the ottoman in front of them. They were turned towards each other, unanswered questions still swimming between the pair.

"There's not enough time to talk about everything we need to, is there?" Kagome was the one who spoke first, but Inuyasha seemed to have reached the same conclusion as he solemnly nodded.

"No, there isn't. But we can work through things as they come up, there's no need to rush. " Inuyasha was proving to be so sensible, Kagome decided. "Don't be afraid to just say something, or to ask me a question. I will be completely honest with you, Kagome."

She bit her lip. Part of her wanted to address her personal life with him, the people she had seen, things she had done, things she'd learned. But another part of her whispered a soft reminder that she was not her experiences, and she owed no one an explanation for her actions.

"There are a million things I want to ask, and a million things more I feel like I should tell you, but it's hard to decide what's immediately important." Kagome tucked a piece of unruly hair behind her ear then, looking sure and comfortable under his gaze. "We'll play it by ear, then? But, I won't hold back if you ask me something, just as I hope you won't either. Deal? "

"Deal."

His smile was genuine, and they quickly fell into conversation about Shippo, who Inuyasha promised he would put in contact with her soon. They had only just begun moving towards other topics when the doorbell rang and Inuyasha slipped his glamour back on to answer it and receive the groceries.

She pretended she wasn't a little sad about it, but she was. Instead of focusing on that, she moved to help Inuyasha bring the groceries in and thanked the concierge worker profusely. It was a large haul, Kagome realized, and Inuyasha filled her in as they moved the bags from the hallway to the kitchen bar that it was his usual order for when he was going to be here for a while.

It was only after all the bags had found their way inside that Kagome kicked Inuyasha out of the kitchen gently, offering to put away the groceries while he changed into something comfortable. He agreed, stating he would be back momentarily, but when she heard the tell-tale ringtone of his phone going off before the door to the office shut completely, she knew he'd be a little while. So, Kagome threw her hair up in a messy bun and turned on her jams playlist, easily settling the shopping and starting dinner. The meal was silent thanks for Yash buying groceries, but cooking was also a stress relief for Kagome. It was part of the reason she spent so much time in that apartment, anyway. Something about dancing around to music while cooking just put her at ease and having Daichi's bubbly personality to bounce off just boosted that for her.

The abrupt opening and closing of the front door caught her off guard, having not expected Daichi until much later, but happy to see him nonetheless. However, he didn't look happy. The air around him was dark as he rounded the corner from the entryway into the kitchen, a dozen pink roses in his left hand. His shoulders were hunched, and he looked defeated, his eyes trained on the ground.

"Daichi," Kagome began tentatively. "You okay?"

He sighed and leaned against the counter opposite of where Kagome was cooking at the stove top, dropping the flowers next to him, launching into the tale of his very short date.

It hadn't gone well. Kira and Daichi had gone to some art gallery, and after just walking through once very quickly, the girl decided she was good and ready to call it a night. It probably didn't help that the entire thing had been set up for them by their parents, Kagome mused. Kira had denied Daichi's offer for a bite to eat and had acted completely differently towards him in person. She was standoffish, and bit bull headed, and didn't want him to touch her at all.

"She called me her friend, Kagome." He sighed after that final conclusion, like it was a death sentence.

"Okay...how did she use it?" Kagome had finished what she was cooking and moved it to another burner while covering it with the lid in hopes to keep it warm. She turned to face him, careful of the hot stove at her back.

"As in 'Daichi, you're such great friend,' as I told her how beautiful she looked tonight, and what a great time I had with her." Kagome physically winced, before stepping across the space and leaning into his body for an embrace.

"I'm sorry, Daichi." Kagome felt the much taller male rest his chin on top of her head, and she relaxed further against him as he tightened his arms around her. She didn't want to admit she still needed comfort after earlier, didn't want to admit that Daichi's embrace felt so much more familiar after all of these months. He was her best friend, the 'PB' to her 'J,' the 'Mutt' to her 'Jeff.' She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore.

"You were right, I think. I should have told her how I felt before things got here. I mean, what was I thinking? Talking to her for hours, holding out so much hope that when we got to Beijing we would just be...together?" Daichi sighed against her head then, before pulling away and reaching for the flowers. "I got these for you, Kags."

Kagome eyed the very dark pink roses, not lost on their meaning, 'gratitude and appreciation.' Nonetheless, Kagome saw a chance to lighten the mood, and a welcome chance to tease him.

"I think I should be very clear," she began with a humorous tone, "that while you faced rejection tonight, I will not be your rebound girl, Daichi Takeshi." She tweaked his nose with a wink. "I am the girl a man should have to rebound from, not to."

Daichi reached down and mussed her messy bun even further. "It'd be like dating my sister, you idiot. I'm just saying thanks, you know, for actually caring enough to warn me against this in the first place. You are amazing best friend. Who knew I'd challenge a strange, damaged girl at a bar to drink a manhattan and end up with a vagabond sort-of roommate that is charming sometimes?" Kagome couldn't help up to throw her head back and laugh, reminded of the way he laughed at her that first night so many months ago.

"Sometimes? I can charm the pants off a woman in a skirt, Daichi, never forget that." Kagome winked before her ears picked up the song that was playing on the little bluetooth speaker, grabbing his hands and starting to sing along, swaying to the deceptively docile first verse.

"Kagome, come on, I don't want to be happy right now." Daichi groaned out the sentence, but he too had started giving away to the beat of the song.

"Too bad, it's my job to cheer you up!" As the music started building and the beat picked up, the two started dancing in earnest, singing out clearly at the chorus, Kagome completely forgetting Inuyasha had taken a call in the study.

They were fully ensconced in their world when he emerged to see what was going on, phone call finally finished. He was a little surprised to see both his nephew, who he knew was home but didn't listen to see why, and Kagome twirling around his small kitchen, both of their heads thrown back as they belted a chorus of a song that was written well before either of them were born. It was cute, he decided, to see both of them so happy, clearly in their element in his home. Daichi was spinning Kagome around, in sort-of swing dancing way, the pair equally uneducated in the proper movements but trying nonetheless.

The singing and dancing came to an abrupt halt as Daichi tried to lift Kagome over his head but banged her skull against the low hanging track lighting there. A dull 'thud' met a sharp intake of breath on Kagome's end, and she gripped Daichi's shoulders in earnest, eyes wide and unblinking.

"Ah, shit, Kagome, I'm sorry." He rushed to set her on the ground, and Inuyasha was at her side in a flash, checking her head for any injury but coming up short.

"Are you okay?" It rang from both Inuyasha and Daichi's mouths simultaneously, but Kagome didn't hear it, too busy having started laughing hard enough to bring tears.

It was contagious, and after Inuyasha double checked where she'd hit her head, he couldn't help but chuckle a little as he moved away to answer his phone that was, once again, ringing loudly.

This, Kagome decided, was a moment she'd never forget. She and Daichi had been a mess of the limbs, the two of them a pile on the floor laughing at something so stupid. The memorable sounds of Frankie Valli were playing behind them, and the familiar presence of Inuyasha was just down the hall.

This was what healing felt like.

Inuyasha left the next morning, despite the fact that he had worked overtime to get an entire week off with Daichi. It was a rather abrupt decision, made after the three of them had just enjoyed an excellent breakfast prepared by Kagome and after a very heated, two-minute phone call from his assistant.

Berlin was a disaster, it seemed, the new branch still struggling without Inuyasha's direct supervision 6 days out of the week, and he knew he needed to devote his full attention to his staff if he ever wanted to return to Japan for the long term. So, he'd quickly reorganized the bag he'd never truly unpacked and got a cab to the Osaka airport, entrusting Daichi to get his car back to the storage facility he used.

Kagome hadn't had a moment to say a proper good bye, too caught up in helping Inuyasha get his things together. There wasn't a big hug, or a long meaningful stare as he rode away in the cab, not even an 'I'll see you soon.' Instead, Kagome, who was still in her pajamas standing on the curb outside the apartment building, only remembers asking 'Do you have everything,' to which he replied, 'I think so, I've got to go.' Inuyasha was on the phone with his assistant through it all, squaring things away before he would be unreachable for 16 hours during his flights and layovers.

It wasn't romantic, it wasn't some movie scene she had seen at least half a dozen times, but it also didn't hurt.

It was like sending off a stranger, Kagome realized. Part of her was hurting from the loss of her Inuyasha still, and that part recognized that while this man had been that Inuyasha, it had been a long time since then. It stung, watching him climb into the cab like a modern-day business man, because that's what he was.

He wasn't her potty mouthed, sword wielding, heart stealing, half demon anymore. He couldn't offer her what she'd spent years wishing for, couldn't give her the familiar feel of being swathed in the fire rat, encircled in his arms. There would be no sitting up high in trees with him, no more being carried on his back, no more of his woodsy scent all over her and her belongings. He hadn't even smelled like that when they'd hugged the night before, instead replaced with a high-end cologne and aftershave, which was not unpleasant, just not what she expected.

She couldn't help but wonder if, underneath all of that, he still smelled like he did back then. It was always hard to describe, something she'd only really pinpointed the smell of a couple of times. All of them had smelt roughly the same, of woods and fire and sometimes the things they killed. But when he'd take off the fire rat and pull her close (truly a rare occasion), there was something completely unique that she would just dissolve right into. He smelled like bergamot and fir trees, an odd combination that she'd spent years trying to recreate with essential oils to no avail. She could mix them however she wanted, but there was always something else missing, something that made Inuyasha smell so different than anything she'd ever encountered.

In that short year, Inuyasha had become her home. And now he was this man, this stranger who was handsome and kind and wanted to be in her life.

But how could he be in her life? How could the two of them, so entirely different, even start to get to know each other beyond the expectations of their past?

Kagome sighed before heading back into the apartment, Daichi at her side.

Only time would tell, she decided.

The duo spent the rest of the week living life as they normally would; they went out, had friends over, binge watched a TV series they'd never even heard of before and altogether just spent way too much time sleeping in a tangle on the sectional in the living room. She'd only remembered after Inuyasha had driven away that Daichi still didn't know the truth yet, and Inuyasha had asked her to keep it to herself until he had time discuss it with the younger demon. It was a welcomed distraction, not being able to talk about Inuyasha at all. It was like going back to the way things had been on most weekends, and Kagome was grateful for the extra time with Daichi before he left for two and half months to go to Beijing.

It had been an emotional goodbye, Kagome clutching the back of Daichi's sweatshirt as he swore to call her as soon as he landed. She'd been holding back tears, and he could tell, so he'd kissed her forehead before climbing into his parent's car to go to the same airport his uncle had flown out of just days prior. It was the hardest goodbye she'd faced in a long time.

It must be genetic, Kagome concluded. Men of this family must have a special pheromone that just makes women never want to let go.

She was lucky Daichi hadn't inherited the 'make women fall in love' gene. She couldn't take it if she held romantic feelings for Inuyasha's great nephew. The gave her a revolted shiver down her spine. No, she decided, that wouldn't be good at all.

Kagome almost wished she could've gone to the airport to watch his plane leave, sullenly staring out the window as it ascended beyond her line of vision. But, it was an hour away, and there was no way Kagome could justify going to see him off with his parents. Kyoto didn't do international flights, which explained why Inuyasha had looked so frazzled after booking a flight that left two hours after he'd be able to leave the apartment. The drive would have been so awkward for Kagome, and Daichi had assured her that this was more their style anyway.

When Inuyasha had left, things were fine, normal. The apartment was loud, full of laughter, good food and friendship. She was used to living without him, content for now to just know he was alive and safe in Berlin.

When Daichi left, Kagome felt empty.

The first few nights were the worst. She slept in the master bedroom, stealing Daichi's kendo team shirts out of his dresser (Inuyasha's she reminded herself, but as far as she could tell none of the clothes were his). She told herself it was because the bathroom was amazing, and that the king-sized mattress was the perfect balance of cloud comfort and firm support.

The truth was she felt a little less alone in a bed that still smelled like Daichi's soap and laundry detergent. Daichi would call at the end of his day, usually, but he was just so busy. The calls were short, mostly a 'hey, thinking of you, had a great day,' sort of thing, not really helping with the ache of being alone for so long after years of always having someone nearby, usually just across the space of a dorm room.

She'd done some research, and decided real estate wasn't the way to go. It was scary, she realized, acknowledging that she had no plan what-so-ever for her future. It probably didn't help that Inuyasha had hinted around her not pursing real estate that first night he was in the apartment. He'd classified it as more of a hobby, something she could do if she got bored, but that her college degree weighed heavier than any real estate license ever would, and she could make more money using it. Instead, Kagome spent the better part of her first two weeks in the apartment applying for jobs that seemed interesting, hoping to hear back from something soon.

For the most part, by the time she started her third week alone, Kagome had a routine. She'd wake up early, go for a run or use the gym in the building to lift weights, depending. After an hour or so, she'd come back, have a protein shake mixed with coffee instead of milk and an omelet or something equally as easy to make for breakfast, typically choosing to sit at the kitchen bar and watch the news while she ate. She'd take a hot shower in Inuyasha's bathroom (she'd been making herself acknowledge that it was his apartment in her thoughts), and then move to the balcony to answer emails or to read until it was time to eat again. After lunch was mostly the same, and she'd usually go until 6:00 or 7:00 pm, only stopping after she either got a phone call from Daichi or the sun had started to go down.

Daichi's calls were starting to be less and less often, the two reverting to mostly text messages as he pushed through the difficult internship. However, she was coping better with being alone. Sometimes, she'd meet up with friends for drinks or dinner, even going as far as having Maya over one night. It wasn't bad, she decided, being on her own.

After her mom returned from Fiji and gotten married, she'd spend her weekends at Kyo's, enjoying the time with her family. Sometimes they would get out and tour some of the area's shrines, or perhaps even just go shopping together. Kyo, it turned out, was an experienced business man, and she'd spent more than a couple hours one Saturday fine combing her resume and asking for advice about jobs. He said the same thing Inuyasha had, urging her to use her degree as well, putting in a good word for her with some companies he knew.

Kagome hated to admit that he was actually a great guy, and she was lucky to count his as her step-father.

It was nice, to have a normal schedule, to be able to fall into a rhythm again. She'd landed a couple of interviews but decided to take a job as a sales engineer after talking to Kyo about it. It was entry level and paid extremely well, something she needed. Kagome would be responsible for selling new technology to companies looking to upgrade, sometimes even branching into healthcare institutions as well. It wasn't her dream job, but it allowed for her to travel from time to time, and it would give her good experience if she decided to move towards more higher-level positions in a few years. The orientation period was odd, a mix of classroom instruction on the products they were selling as well as self-paced instruction at home. She was also enrolled in some language courses she had to complete, but she was doing well so far.

She had landed the job a month after Daichi left, but she spent another month just working through that introduction material. You really had to be well versed in the things you were selling, something she wasn't taking lightly, and honestly, she was struggling to learn German. She was proficient in English and had taken French courses in high school and college that were paying off, but German just wasn't coming easily. She needed to nail it before she'd be allowed to do more of the travel events, but she also needed to be with the company for six months if she even wanted to be considered for those trips.

The company assured her that most places would be fine with her using English, but it really came down to a sense of pride for her. She was glad to already be getting a paycheck even through training, able to stash a good amount of it back into her savings. The first check had come at a welcome time; Kagome's account had been low, and she needed some new clothes for work. She did a lot of her training from the apartment at this point, but she knew in just a few short weeks things would pick up.

She was right. Within a week of her first paycheck, she was contacted by her supervisor about an sales convention in the area and she took the opportunity.

Her first day of work was pretty good. She was made a temporary part of a team that would go out and set up shop at any sort of location, splitting off to each man a section to walk potential customers through their products. The six of them ended up landing a huge client, which meant they were taking home some decent commission on top of their pay this week.

It would have been a great day if you overlooked the fact that her favorite clothing had been dirty that morning. Kagome wasn't sure how her laundry had escaped her, but she ended up wearing a plain office dress and a cardigan, feeling less than the peppy saleswoman she had hoped to start off as. It probably didn't help that she had on a too tight sports bra under her dress, as well as a very uncomfortable thong she'd forgotten she'd owned. And please don't get her started on the heels she thought she could tolerate all day.

Kagome was currently standing in Inuyasha's laundry room trying to decide which detergent was better for her delicates, swollen feet relishing the feel of the cold tile floor. She found herself washing laundry that night, having forgone her usual dinner for some take out and a bottle of wine to be able to afford the time she needed to devote to the task. When she'd gotten home, she'd started playing some subdued music and had lit the fragrant candles she'd stashed around the apartment. It was relaxing, a kind of long deep sigh after a month of hard work, her own piece of zen in an apartment that was starting to feel less and less like home. She was hopeful within another month or two to be confident enough in her position to find another place, something that was sounding more and more appealing.

It wasn't that she didn't like the apartment. She actually loved it, and she was certain she was going to miss it when she moved, but it was starting to wear on her that she had enough money to be affording her own place.

It was around the time that Daichi would normally call, so she didn't think anything of it when her phone rang, the shrill tones reverberating off the concrete walls of the laundry room. Stopping her tedious unloading of the wash machine to grab her phone out of the laundry basket, Kagome was shocked not to see Daichi's name scrawled across the screen, but the simple 'Yash' she hadn't seen...well, ever.

It took her a moment to gather up the courage to answer the phone, to which she did timidly, a shy, questioning 'hello?' her greeting.

"Kagome, hey, I hope I'm not intruding?"

"No," Kagome leaned back over the edge of the washer, phone between her shoulder and her ear, "it's fine, I'm just doing laundry. It's been a while." She continued throwing her laundry into the dryer, her arm being able to judge the distance without her looking from months of practice. She was determined to get this task done, her sushi and wine growing warm on the ottoman in the living room.

"I know it's been a while, that's why I'm calling." Kagome had finally settled the load in the dryer, starting it before moving to grab her hamper from the floor and starting to plop her clothes in the barrel of the washer handful by handful.

"Oh?" She popped the washer closed after throwing in some detergent and starting it, dropping the now empty hamper on top. She moved out of the laundry room, closing the door behind her and giving her neck a rest as she grasped the phone with her hand. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk, I guess." That stopped her, her feet coming to a dead halt in the middle of the hallway that lead from the front entry to the living room, the laundry room having been right next to the front door.

"I'm sorry, what?" It was instinctual, and she was regretting the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, already formulating an apology when Inuyasha's laugh cut across the phone.

"I'm glad to see your temper is still intact, Kagome." Kagome rolled her eyes then, feet resuming their trek to the comfy couch with the warm throw blanket and glass of white wine waiting on her. She was glad he hadn't taken offense to her, and instead decided to just go with the next response that popped in her head.

"Well, what'd you expect? 'Oh, Yash, I'm so glad you called, my heart has been aching since you left!' If that's the case, I'm surprised you haven't asked what I'm wearing, and if I'm alone." Kagome had just settled in the couch, resuming her dinner as she chatted, Inuyasha's baritone laughter washing over her.

"I don't know what I expected, to be honest. It just occurred to me to call you today, and I have about an hour before I have to go back to work here." Kagome hmmed before taking a sip of her wine.

"What time is it there?"

"Noon. Today is the first day I've gotten an actual lunch break since I've been back, and I'm spending it on you. You should be flattered, you know." Kagome smirked at that, enjoying the docile banter.

"Well, I'll consider it a compliment. We can eat together, then, I'm just diving into this take out from down the street." It flowed from her naturally, conversation coming easy.

"Cup of noodles for me." Kagome wrinkled her nose at that.

"Seriously? That's so unhealthy."

"Take out isn't much better." Kagome rolled her eyes, shamelessly scooping another piece of sushi into her mouth.

"Yeah, but this is the first time in two months that I've eaten out, thank you very much. How many times have you eaten a cup of noodles this week alone?"

"Oh, what's the special occasion?" He was dodging her question, which told her his eating habits were less than stellar right now. But, she followed his lead, trusting in herself to bring it back up later.

"Well, I landed a job as a sales engineer about a month ago. Today was my real first day of work and my team and I landed a huge client."

"Kagome, that's fantastic! I'm so proud of you. Tell me all about it?"

The conversation just flowed from there, surprisingly free of hiccups. Kagome didn't know what she had anticipated when her phone rang, didn't know what she had wanted, but she never imagined this. They'd never been given the opportunity to talk freely like this, just the two of them, while he was there. Even if they had, Kagome would have been so focused on her sexual attraction to him that she'd never have been able to sustain decent conversation with the man.

It was nice, she decided, as she lay on her back after she'd finished her meal, listening to him describe his day. It was a break from the tedium that had become her life, a welcomed distraction.

It was over too soon.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, I have to get back to work." Kagome sighed, having anticipated it, the bells on the dryer dinging the load's completion just a few moments prior.

"It's okay, Yash. Thank you for calling, I really enjoyed this." It wasn't a lie, an understatement if anything. When was the last time she'd gotten so wrapped up in a phone call that it had lasted an entire hour?

"I-uhm-me too, Kagome. Talk soon?"

"Sounds good, I'll talk to you soon." The automatism was from work, something she'd picked up from the countless phone calls she'd been taking.

The call ended, and Kagome forced herself up to get her laundry switched over so she could go to bed in a few hours, knowing she would have to be up early to get ready for another big day at the convention center.

It was only later that night, as she laid in bed that she realized the implications of the last bit of their phone call.

There was a promise hidden in that statement, a sincerity despite the triviality of the words used. Kagome had no thought as to where this would lead, as to what it meant, but all of a sudden there was this weight, this anticipation within her.

Soon.

A/N: Hey there! First of all, I wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has commented on and followed this piece. I'm not entirely sure where it's going, or how much longer I'll be writing it, but it is a stress relief to just put my thoughts out there. I'm grateful for each of you taking this journey with me.

I have gone through and re-edited all of the previous chapters, and I'd appreciate it if any of you wanted to go back a reread them again for some feedback. The content is exactly the same, but I've combined some chapters and split the last one I uploaded into two separate ones. Just thought it would help with the overall feel of the piece.

I am not in business, and will not claim to know anything about it. I've done some mild research to make this piece workable.

I am finding it difficult to continue this piece, for many reasons. I didn't do my thoughts justice and I jumped the gun on several counts within the story. It's my belief that I should move to tie this one up in a few chapters, and let old things (aka, me haha) die. I will be taking a brief hiatus to reassess this, and I plan to post again in about two weeks.

Until then,

-K