Happy New Years everyone! Okay I received a lot of really nice reviews and I'm really happy about that! Thanks so much! It was surprising to me that you guys didn't know until after he said it! I thought that the hints were a little too obvious but apparently not!

I'm going to answer some questions now. Some people asked why Sesshoumaru was so OOC and why he was like InuYasha and my only excuse for that is…he was frustrated that day? I don't know. I don't think that he was OOC and I'll try not to have that happen. I'll tell you more about Kagome's "condition" as the story goes on. I don't plan on putting details about Sesshoumaru's store until later. You'll also find out about Sesshoumaru's father later on as well. Just so you all don't think I'm being lazy by not putting in enough details, I'm going to tell you now. Everything that seems like it isn't being described enough will be described more thoroughly later on. Besides, I like being vague since it leaves you all guessing.

Disclaimer: Why are you bugging me about this? I don't think these things are necessary, but to avoid the site from kicking me out, I'll say it. Takahashi Rumiko owns InuYasha. Not you or me. If you say that you do, it's a darned lie.

PG-13

AU She likes chocolate. He likes flowers. Don't flowers and chocolate just go hand in hand? Oh, and she just has one tiny little problem that few people know about... SessKag

O n l y A D a y d r e a m A w a y

Chapter 2

Make a Secret

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Later that evening, Kagome was thinking things through in Bankotsu's car.

"You're awfully quiet tonight, Kagome," Bankotsu noticed. "I thought you'd be glad to get back home."

"I am. I'm just…thinking."

"Did one of your customer's give you trouble today? I swear, if one of them laid a finger on you, I'll—"

"I'm fine, Bankotsu. Really. I'm just…wondering about what Jakotsu is going to get me to wear tomorrow night."

"I can assure you that it's going to be something fantastic. Especially since you're going to be the one wearing it." He winked, even though Kagome wouldn't be able to see it. He knew that she could tell from his teasing voice anyway.

"Have you seen it yet?" asked Kagome, glad to change the subject.

"Not yet," replied Bankotsu thoughtfully, "but Jakotsu is the best designer in the whole country. It's bound to be great."

She laughed, reflecting on how proud he was of his younger brother. When Jakotsu had first broken the news to his brother about his sexual preferences, Bankotsu was less than pleased. Along the way, however, he had come to realize that even though his brother went the other way, so to speak, he was still plain old Jakotsu.

There was a subtle "new car smell" as Kagome put it, and she guessed that Bankotsu had driven one of his newer cars. She couldn't care less what he chose to pick her up in, but he probably wanted her to make a comment on it. She decided to say something about it later. Teasing Bankotsu was fun.

Her fingers came up to brush a couple of hairs out of her face as she closed her eyes. Her head tilted a bit to rest on the seatbelt, and she promptly fell asleep. The radio was on but it was a soft murmur, which Kagome found soothing and easy to fall sleep to. Normally, it was hard to fall asleep, but she felt safe. She could always trust Bankotsu. He would never let anything happen to her.

Bankotsu glanced over at his passenger and let out a small smile. For a moment, he let himself get distracted but quickly shook his head to clear his mind. He couldn't get distracted. However, Kagome looked so peaceful there…he couldn't help but glance over again.

The slow rise and fall of her stomach meant that she was truly asleep. Sometimes, she faked it to amuse herself. Bankotsu always did the strangest things when she was asleep. She had almost caught him about to kiss her once, but he had pulled away just in time. She hadn't known what was going on.

Friends. Just friends. That was what they were and all they were ever going to be. It was all they were allowed to be. The Higurashi's had not hired him to court her. They had hired him to take care of her. He was somewhat of a bodyguard. But it was so hard for him not to fall for her. To not fall for her innocence, those wide blue-grey eyes, that voice. Impossible. Her eyes were useless to her, but that didn't make them any less appealing. They were beautiful. He could stare into them forever. And he would have.

They had seen the way he looked at her. They had noticed and realized how he felt. They had asked him directly if he was going to act on his feelings. In order to keep his family's job and their position, he had lied outright. He couldn't risk all of his brother's jobs just because of a silly crush. He could keep his feelings in order. But it was growing to be so hard to keep his secret. He had begun to do little affectionate things like tuck in a strand of her hair behind her ear or kiss her on the forehead sometimes. He had started to slip.

That was why Bankotsu had started sending in Suikotsu more often in his stead. He had thought that if he hadn't seen her for a while, it would get better. That if he didn't see her, it would go away. In reality, it got worse. He longed to hear her voice and see her smile.

His brothers Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu were large and were used to guard Kagome during special events. They were like bouncers at a club but more extreme. His other brother Mukotsu was one of the house doctors and the cook as well. He was useful and didn't depend on Bankotsu that much. Renkotsu was a scheming little bastard, but they were still brothers and still cared about each other. Renkotsu was one of the Higurashi's many accountants and financial advisers. He was smart and useful. Jakotsu was Kagome's stylist. He worked wonders. Suikotsu was also another doctor for the house, but he was also one of Kagome's guards. He guarded Kagome along with Bankotsu himself. His fighting skills nearly rivaled Bankotsu's.

It wouldn't mean anything. All of that wouldn't mean anything if Bankotsu couldn't keep his feelings in check. He thought of how happy they were now that they had found a home. Finding Kagome had been the best thing for their family in more ways than one. By being Kagome's guard, he had found a secure job for the rest of his brothers. He wouldn't let it all go just because of his feelings. He had to think of his family first. He always did. To do that, he had to keep Kagome safe yet out of his reaches.

His brows furrowed in frustration and he let out a little grunt. "I've got some work ahead of me," he muttered.

Kagome's eyes fluttered in her sleep and in her dream, she wondered what he had meant by it.

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Hands clutched in prayer, Jakotsu let out an audible sigh as he saw Bankotsu's new Jaguar pull into the driveway. They were safe. Bankotsu's driving was known to be reckless, but he could see that nothing in the world could make him purposely harm Kagome. Even so, there was always a possibility.

Jakotsu had thanked the gods nearly everyday since his older brother had met Kagome. She had only been a quiet little girl that had bumped into them in the city during the late hours of the night.

At the time, Kagome was about 6and Bankotsu was 14. Jakotsu was somewhere near 9 or 10. They were walking back home when they stumbled upon a little girl. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying. They were about to leave her –what were they going to do with a little girl anyway?—when she took a few awkward steps towards them and fell.

He could still remember her quivering voice. "Please, can you help me find my way home?"

Bankotsu had looked at her wearily and Jakotsu had stifled a laugh. Nonetheless, they looked at each other and made a silent agreement. They were in a pretty seedy part of the city, and it was certainly no place for a little girl to be by herself. It was a miracle in itself that she hadn't been kidnapped already! They picked her up by the elbows and trudged on home with her.

On the way to their house, she hadn't said a single word. They could see her body shudder from the cold –it was no wonder! She was only wearing a little sundress!—but still, she said nothing. The brothers exchanged looks again.

As soon as they had arrived at their home, there was a huge commotion. They lived in an orphanage, and all the orphans came and gathered around the little girl. There were cries of "Where did you get her?" and "What's wrong with her?" from every direction. Still, she said nothing.

With a glare from Bankotsu, they immediately shut up and backed off. Gently, he guided her into the room that he shared with his brothers, sat her down on his bed, and asked the one question that had been running through his mind the entire time he was with her. "What's your name?"

Thankful to be pulled inside and out of the cold, she replied, "Kagome."

"What were you doing out there by yourself? Do you know how late it is?" inquired Bankotsu.

"What's your name?" she asked in return, ignoring his other questions.

He paused. "I'm Bankotsu."

She held out a hand. "Pleased to meet you."

It was surprising that such manners could come from such a young girl. He took her small hand and shook it. "Where do you live?"

Again, she ignored him and asked, "How old are you?"

"Older than you, kid."

Her lips were pursed in thought as she accepted this. ". I got lost, I don't know how late it is, and I live at…"

Bankotsu's eyes widened as the little girl carefully recited her address. He asked her if she was sure that that was where she lived. She thought about it some more and nodded. Bankotsu was taken aback. This little girl lived in a mansion!

There was a humongous house on top of a hill that everyone looked up at and admired. It was the house of the infamous Higurashi's. Was this girl a Higurashi too then? But he had never heard of a daughter! Nobody had ever mentioned a child in the Higurashi household. And he would know. He made it his business to know everything.

"Kagome, it's too dark and too late at night to be going anywhere right now." He paused when she frowned. "But I'll try and help get you back home tomorrow morning. Is that okay?"

Two little shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug. "What am I going to do for the rest of the night? Mother says that there are bad people out in the night."

Mother? The petite girl was oddly formal.

"You can stay here."

"Where am I?"

"You're in my room at the orphanage. I share this room with my brothers."

"What's an orphanage?"

"It's where kids go when they don't have any parents."

"Where do the parents go?"

"Sometimes they die, but sometimes they just don't want us."

"That's sad. How many brothers do you have?"

"I have 6 of them. It'll get crowded in here later."

"That's okay. Where do I sleep?"

"Right here. Didn't you notice? You're on my bed right now."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Kagome hesitated. She liked this Bankotsu guy. He seemed so nice. But she wasn't supposed to tell anybody. Would it be okay just this once? "Do you want to know a secret?"

"Not if you don't want to tell me."

That was great. He passed the test. It made her smile brilliantly. "Don't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Okay."

"No one's supposed to know, but I can tell you. You're nice. Bankotsu…I can't see."

He eyed her carefully. "You mean…you're blind?"

Kagome nodded vigorously. "That's what father says. So I'm sleeping here?"

At a loss for what to say, Bankotsu nodded. Kagome still seemed to waiting for a response when Bankotsu realized that she couldn't see his nod. He said yes and Kagome looked down.

"You're not going to treat me differently from now on, are you?" She sounded worried.

"Of course not. I'll treat you exactly like I treat the rest of my friends."

She was delighted. Although she was too ashamed to admit it, she had never had a friend before. Carefully, she took off her little shoes and placed them beside her. "Can I go to sleep now?"

"Sure." He looked down at the bed tentatively. Where would he sleep? The floor certainly wasn't the most comfortable place in the world but he could manage. Right?

"Would you mind sleeping with me? I don't like being alone." Especially in a place where she had never been before. That part was left unsaid but both understood it.

Although he was a teenager, he didn't even stop to think about the double meaning in her sentence. She was just a kid, after all. What would he want to do with a kid, anyway? He accepted. She was scared and he would be there to comfort her. Aside from Jakotsu, who she hadn't talked with yet, she didn't know anyone else. It was only normal.

The bed was hardly big enough for one person, let alone two, but they managed. Awkwardly, Bankotsu tried to sleep. It was hard feat to accomplish with a little girl clinging onto him for dear life. She whimpered in her sleep and held on tight. To keep from falling off the bed, he had to hold on to her too.

And that was how they were found in the morning, two kids holding each other as if their lives depended on it.

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"Come on, come on, we haven't got all day!" ordered Jakotsu playfully.

He had helped Kagome put on the dress right away and started fitting it to her body. He knew her measurements all by memory already, but it never hurt to check. She could have gained or lost a few pounds in the last couple of months. He was all for Kagome gaining a few extra pounds, though. He liked to say she was almost bone-thin.

"So how was business today?" came a muffled voice. Jakotsu's mouth was full with pins.

"It was fine." She wasn't sure whether she should tell him or not. It was nothing really. He had promised not to tell anyone, so it would be fine. "That self-defense teacher tried to get me to talk again. She's really quite entertaining."

Jakotsu chuckled lightly for fear of swallowing the pins. Only Kagome would find someone trying to find out her secrets entertaining. Only Kagome.

"Can you tell me about the people hosting the party, Bankotsu?" She needed to know something about them before attending one of their parties. It'd be rude not to.

Bankotsu opened a drawer and pulled out a clipboard. He flipped through the pages. "Well, it's a party being hosted by the Yamada's. Do you remember them, Kagome?"

She thought it over for a second but couldn't remember anything. "No. Should I?"

"For starters, they're one of the few families who know that you exist. The two parents, anyway. They don't know about your…handicap, though. I also doubt they remember you after all these years."

"Oh! I remember now! Wait…weren't they the ones that I sort of…crashed into when I was younger?"

Reminiscing, Bankotsu smiled wistfully. "Yes. You were trying to escape the clutches of your evil piano teacher who thought you might have an ear for music."

A newly French manicured nail came up to her mouth as she thoughtfully chewed on it. "Mother and Father quickly put a stop to that. I had to endure piano lessons for another 6 years."

"Stop moving, Kagome," warned Jakotsu through a mouthful of pins.

The nail, along with the finger that came with it, came back down to her sides. "Is there anything else about them that I should know?"

The sound of rustling fabric and paper could be heard and Bankotsu replied, "They do have two sons, one from a previous marriage. I think that some matchmaking will be going on during that party. You better watch yourself."

Kagome nearly scoffed. When had she never watched herself? She was always careful. Besides, she had Bankotsu and every one of his brothers watching out for her. What was the worst that could happen?

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Finding out that the woman across the street was blind certainly put a hamper on things. It sure explained why she hadn't responded when he had stared at her openly, though. He had promised the woman that he would not tell anyone else of what had happened. He couldn't believe what had possessed him to do that.

He sighed. He hadn't had a female companion in more than 2 months and that was far too long.

The night was coming fast and it was almost pitch black outside when he opened the door to his car. He had ended up buying flowers off a cart on his way to see his parents. The drive had taken a couple of hours, but he had time to spare. He didn't like to visit them too often, but it seemed like the occasion called for it. His father was hosting another party –for what seemed like no reason—and as the future heir to the company, he was obliged to attend.

The bouquet of flowers was bright and colorful, enough to satisfy his stepmother. Although the arrangement of flowers was like any other, there seemed to be something missing. He was starting to regret getting distracted earlier. The flowers at Forever Memories were extremely eye-catching. Of course, the aroma didn't hurt either. The flowers that he had bought had no certain scent unless you leaned in closely. He brushed off the thought.

What would happen as soon as he stepped foot into the Yamada mansion? He could just imagine it now. Either there would be absolute silence, or there would be a huge commotion. He could practically hear his younger half-brother InuYasha stomping down the stairs, demanding why he had come. It almost made him get back in and turn the car around.

Taking a breath, Sesshoumaru stepped onto the grounds of the Yamada mansion. The only thing that he missed about the place was the gardens, though he'd never admit it. The gardens used to glow at night, and it gave him a certain comfort to know that they still did. He walked up the steps and pulled out a set of keys. Before he could find the correct one, though, the large glass doors opened.

"Sesshoumaru?" a deep voice asked.

"Yes, father, it's me," replied Sesshoumaru, no emotion whatsoever in his voice.

"Well, this is a surprise! Was I supposed to know about this visit?"

"No, it was on a whim that I decided to come here."

"I'm glad you came. You can help with the preparations for the party."

"Where is everybody else?"

"Your brother and his mother are in the dining room trying to figure out where everyone is going to be sitting and what we're going to be eating."

"I see."

"Are those flowers for her?"

Sesshoumaru hesitated before answering, "Yes."

"Don't be shy, son. We are still your family, whether you still live here or not. Come on, I'm sure she'll be delighted to receive those from you."

The two men walked into the house in silence. The only sound heard was the rustling of fabric and the clacking of their shoes. When they reached the room, they found that the door was open and InuYasha and his mother were arguing.

"Mom, you know they don't like each other. Why bother seating them that close? It'll just cause more drama for the rest of us," sighed InuYasha.

"InuYasha," said the older woman patiently, "the only reason it seems like they don't like each other is because in reality, they do like each other. Trust me, sweetie, a woman knows these things."

"So you're just going to play matchmaker?" came InuYasha's disgusted reply. He muttered something oddly similar to "women think they know everything" but it went ignored.

"Except for with your brother, it always works." She winked. InuYasha grinned.

Sesshoumaru frowned and cleared his throat. The pair whirled around, stared like two deer caught in headlights, into the faces of Sesshoumaru and his father. Sesshoumaru walked into the large room gracefully, carrying the bouquet of flowers in front of him. He bowed his head slightly as he handed the flowers to his stepmother. "Hello, Sayuri. These are for you."

Sayuri Yamada stayed frozen for a couple more seconds as she stared at the bouquet of flowers in front of her. She came to her senses quickly and took the flowers into her hand. She was afraid that she was going to tear up. She looked up at Sesshoumaru, for he was heads taller than she was, and smiled. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. That was quite thoughtful of you."

The only thing he could think of doing in return was nod. He looked over at his brother and they immediately began to glare at each other.

As expected, the younger brother hissed, "What do you think you're doing here, Sesshoumaru?"

"I have as much right to be here as you do, dear InuYasha," responded Sesshoumaru with emphasis at the last two words.

Before InuYasha could think of a comeback, their father interrupted. "Yes, he does. He dropped by merely on a whim, and we're glad to have him. Aren't we, InuYasha?"

"I guess," muttered InuYasha sullenly.

"We sure are," agreed Sayuri. "Now, next on the list…Who is next on the list, InuYasha?"

Grabbing a stack of placement cards from a nearby chair, he read aloud, "Higurashi and escort. There's only one Higurashi this year, mom?"

Surprised, the matriarch of the family snatched the card out of her son's hand. "That can't be right. Is one of Higurashi's sick, Koyama?" she asked her husband.

"No, that card is correct. They called a few days ago to inform us that they would not be coming but someone else would be. They assure me that we know this person."

For the first time since he had given his stepmother the flowers, Sesshoumaru spoke up. "Who else would be coming in their stead?"

"I don't know. I assume it'll be a reunion for us, Sayuri. Let's seat whoever it is closer to us so we can get reacquainted."

The Yamada family continued to make small talk and went on placing the cards on the table. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha avoided each other whenever possible. When talking to each other was unavoidable, a huge conflict resided. They began to argue, but that was just usual at the Yamada household whenever the two brothers were within 20 feet of one another.

All was well again in the family. At least, Sayuri and Koyama thought so. They smiled at each other in familial bliss when Sayuri suddenly let out an audible gasp. The three men turned to look at her expectantly.

"Koyama…didn't the Higurashi's have a daughter?"

--tsuzuku—

I seem to think that my writing in this chapter was seemingly worse. Hmm…and there sure was a lot of dialogue… I don't know. I hope you guys liked it. I'm working hard on my stories but darn it, finals are coming up again soon. Tell me what you think of this chapter. I didn't like it at all…am I just paranoid?