Café
Inu-Tenshi
No character I use from Inuyasha belongs to me.
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit."
-Peter Ustinov
Day 8
Ten years ago...
A young Kagome sat on a bench, crying. Sobs wracked her tiny body and her hands quickly wiped away the tears that fell.
"Kagome, what's wrong?" Her cousin, Narumi, ran over to comfort her.
"Mommy left me," she told her, sniffling.
"I'm sure she'll come back," Narumi hugged her. "Who wouldn't want our cute little Kagome, right?"
Kagome blinked at her with large, teary eyes and nodded, slightly smiling. She buried her face in Narumi's arms and clung onto her sweater, shivering imperceptibly.
"Where's the big brother you're always with?" Narumi asked, referring to Sesshoumaru. She received no reply and realized only seconds later that Kagome had fallen asleep.
Narumi sighed. "Hey, come out already."
Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind a tree. "Is she alright?"
"I hope so."
Kagome was currently on the phone with her father. "I'm not going to marry him, father."
Her frustrated and stubborn expression was visible. "I said no, father."
There was a pause as she listened to her father's response. She clenched her teeth. "I don't care if it'll help your business. I'm not doing it."
Then he said something that made her resolve waver. "Are you sure? You know I'll do anything to get out of it," Kagome bit her lower lip. "Alright. Goodbye, father."
She closed her phone and dropped it into her pocket. "Kouga! Narumi! I'm sorry, I have to do something today," she shouted, standing outside of the café.
They waved to let her know that they heard her and gave her reassuring smiles that told her "don't worry, we'll take care of it".
Half an hour later, Kagome was standing in front of the tall building, Higurashi Corporation, owned by her father. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves, then pushed the glass door. Almost immediately, the workers there rushed to greet her saying, "it's been a while, Miss Kagome," or "how are you?". She only smiled at them and proceeded to her father's office. She walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the highest floor, fifteen. As soon as she stepped out, her father's secretary greeted her and she gave her that same smile in return.
She stood in front of her father's office and knocked on the door. Once. Twice. And turned the knob when he gave her permission to enter.
"Father, where is he?" Kagome asked.
Her father chuckled. "Eager, are we?"
Eager to get this over with, she thought bitterly.
"Come," he motioned for her to follow him.
Kagome was led to a room she had never seen before. She wrung her hands nervously as they neared the door, then took a deep breath to calm herself. The door opened. Slowly, Kagome lifted her head up, tearing her eyes away from the ground.
And gaped.
There was a long moment of awkward silence... then her father broke it by saying, "Sesshoumaru, this is my daughter, Kagome."
Sesshoumaru's smooth voice was more distinguishable and clearer than ever. "A pleasure, Kagome." Judging from his posture and movements, it was quite obvious that Sesshoumaru was holding himself back from laughing at the dazed look on Kagome's face.
Kagome struggled to pull herself together. "A pleasure, Sesshoumaru." They shook hands.
"Let us be seated," her father said.
Kagome's eyes shifted from Sesshoumaru's face to her father's. What's going on?
"Father.. he... is my betrothed..?" Kagome asked uncertainly.
"That is correct, Kagome."
Sesshoumaru decided to speak up. "Mr. Higurashi... perhaps it is best if we were... better acquainted with one another."
Kagome let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, father," she agreed. "It would be better for the both of us."
"Very well. Sesshoumaru.. perhaps she can be of use to your company?"
He took that as a sign to leave and stood from his seat. "I will give her a chance at today's meeting. Good day, sir."
Kagome noticed Sesshoumaru's stare and bid her father farewell.
Outside, Kagome couldn't hold it in any longer. "Did you know it would be me?" she blurted out.
"Believe me when I say I was just as surprised as you were," he told her.
She eyed him strangely. You sure didn't look surprised.
"You mentioned me being at a meeting..." Kagome trailed off, hinting at him to tell her more.
Sesshoumaru nodded. "I am taking you to my father's company."
Now Kagome stood just outside the TK Inc. building. As soon as she walked in with Sesshoumaru, she saw workers bustling about, carrying piles of paper and binders as well as folders.
Sesshoumaru called for his secretary. "I am holding a meeting now. Inform everyone."
She nodded and ran off.
Minutes later, the conference room was filled and a presentation screen was in place. Sesshoumaru started off by saying, "I have realized that our market share and stock prices have dropped since my leave."
Kagome listened intently. She didn't take business classes for nothing. When Sesshoumaru was done talking, Kagome raised her hand and spoke.
"We could either come out with a new product, or we could improve the old one. The customer awareness of this company is very high, so all we have to do is let people know that we have a new product coming out. We could spend some money on the promotion and sales budget and increase consumer awareness and accessibility."
The meeting went on until nighttime. By then, everyone was tired and cranky and Sesshoumaru was well aware of this.
"Meeting adjourned."
All the workers stood and stretched, careful not to yawn. They shuffled about, finishing some things here or there before retiring home.
Kagome was still seated, smiling in satisfaction. Sesshoumaru was organizing his documents. When he was finished, Kagome said, "Let's go. I'll treat you to something nice."
Sesshoumaru found himself unable to refuse her offer. In the end, they went to a nearby café and ordered two cups of hot chocolate.
"So... " Kagome was warming her hands using the cup of hot chocolate. "That was pretty fun. The meeting, I mean."
Silence.
"Umm... about the arranged marriage thing..." Kagome continued, shifting in the chair. "Maybe we should--"
Sesshoumaru cut her off. "We should give it a try," he suggested. "Two months."
Kagome smiled. "Alright. We'll date for two months, then we'll see."
That night, Sesshoumaru walked her home. "Thanks for today. Good night," Kagome said, never taking her eyes off of him, even as he walked home.
She felt warm and fuzzy inside, and that feeling would beat a cup of hot chocolate any day.
"We should give it a try. Two months."
Then... from now on Sesshoumaru...please take care of me.
Note:
First of all, an early update!
Secondly... gen'ei honsho, I've just read your response on my site and to be honest, I never thought that my story would be one of those stories you've described. It puts a smile on my face to know that there are readers who feel that way. You have no idea how much it motivated me. I will continue to try my best at writing. Thank you.
EDIT: Since people keep asking, what Kagome gave to Sesshoumaru for a present last chapter was a watch.