Bake Me Away
Brought to you by: Sango the Lecher Slayer

Chapter 2: Meet the Man

The stranger grinned, baring his fangs, and opened his mouth to gloat when Kagome cut him off by continuing in one breath "—Inuyasha Takahashi, CEO and founder of 'Le Gasp'!"

Kagome died a little bit on the inside.

At her frozen, beyond miserable facial expression, Inuyasha kindly asked, "Oi, wench, why are you so cranky?"

Kagome sighed, "I just choose the wrong people to dislike sometimes," Kagome answered despondently.

Inuyasha was blown away at her honesty. With that, his ears drooped and he looked at her with watery puppy dog eyes and said in a quiet voice, "You hate me?"

Kagome couldn't resist the look… No human with a heart could. But instead of reacting like most girls and reaching for the ears, Kagome teared up.

"Wait. No. Stop. Don't. Please." Inuyasha stuttered. "I'm sorry I used the eyes and the ears. You can touch them if you want!"

Kagome looked sad and asked, "Really? Are you sure?"

Inuyasha grumbled, "Go for it, wench."

Kagome sniffled as she tentatively touched his right ear. She tried to stifle her laugh as it twitched.

Inuyasha growled, "Get on with it, then."

Kagome smiled and fully grasped his ear. "It's so soft!"

Inuyasha looked away. After giving Kagome a couple of minutes, he gingerly took his ear away and said, "Okay fine, Kagome, I have a proposition for you. We are now in… Hey, wench are you listening to me?" Inuyasha interrupted himself.

Kagome shook herself out of her reverie. "Sorry, I was in a happy place. You were saying?"

Inuyasha glared. "I was saying before you so rudely cut me off, wench, that—"

"Actually, you cut yourself off," Kagome interrupted and pointed out.

"You did it again."

"Sure, dog boy. Continue." Kagome directed.

Inuyasha glared again, "Wench, we need a pastry chef. I hate to admit it, but yours was one of the best I have ever tasted." His face broke into a dreamy smile.

Kagome was struck completely speechless.

Inuyasha came out of his reverie to ask, "Hey, girl. Are you… fully functioning? Firing on all cylinders?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes! I would love to work for you. Jerk." Kagome tried to contain her joy but it snuck out. She squealed and squished Inuyasha to her.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kagome jumped out of the cab and moved to slam the door, only to be stopped by Inuyasha. "Wench. This is my stop."

"Oh. He… he he… yeah. Cool." Kagome sheepishly replied.

"And I didn't tell you when you would start…"

"Oh! Sorry, sir!"

"Sir?" Inuyasha questioned.

"I have to respect my employer," Kagome said wisely.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll see you on Monday at 7 am. Don't be late." Inuyasha hopped out of the cab and paused before closing the door.

"See you then, wench," he said with a smirk and a wink.

Kagome spent the rest of the ride fuming at his chauvinism, yet excited for her new job. Ever positive, that was Kagome! Most of the time.

When the cab pulled up to her flat, she stumbled out with practiced ease. "Oh my god," she said aloud, "I got the job. I got the job!" She shouted with a twirl.

An angry neighbor popped his head out of a window. "SHUT UP, LADY, my pregnant wife is trying to sleep."

Before Kagome could apologize, she heard, "Oh, so I look pregnant to you?"

Kagome cringed and waited for his reply: "Yes sweetheart, but that is only because you are pregnant."

"That was a bad idea," Kagome muttered quietly. She counted to 10 and saw the door violently wrench open as the very pregnant woman shouted, "Get out of my house, you insensitive jerk!"

Kagome glanced at the poor, sleep-deprived man in his boxers with an almost empty overnight bag, outside his house. Kagome grimaced, "Note to self: Do not scream about job when there is a pregnant lady and her husband next door," and she shuffled to her apartment.

After she collapsed on the couch for a few moments, Kagome had a much, much quieter, revelation: "I should get ingredients to practice!" she softly said to herself. Grabbing her reusable bags, Kagome headed to her local grocery store.

"It's so beautiful here," she said as she reached the baking aisle. "I feel so at peace." Humming to herself, Kagome began to weigh the pros and cons of various baking chocolates, only to look up at an opportune moment and spot Hojo.

Kagome nonchalantly attempted to hide behind an elderly couple. When the woman caught on to her, she tried to justify herself by saying, "I'm…not hiding, per say. This is just not an opportune time to be asked out. He's such a nice boy, I can't say no, but he's so boring." Kagome started to get into her story, and while the elderly woman was interested, so were other patrons.

Including Hojo.

"Higurashi!" Hojo shouted.

Kagome tried to hide her cringe. "I'm a nice girl, I'm a nice girl." The elderly couple gave her a look and the woman patted her on the back. "Don't settle, dearie," the woman insisted as she wheeled that cart away.

"Higurashi! Can you hear me? Or has your malaria impaired your hearing?"

"Malaria? What the… No, I'm fine, Hojo." Kagome responded.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that, Higurashi"

"Hojo, for the last time, call me Kagome. We've been friends to seven years."

"Sure, Kagome."

"Thank you," Kagome said without enthusiasm. "Well, I better be going. Have a great day!"

"Um, Kagome."

Kagome began chanting "No, no, no, no" in her head. "Yes, Hojo?" Kagome asked.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Hojo asked.

Kagome was silent. "I have no excuses!" Kagome mentally cried to herself, "I've already used my cat is dead, my grandmother's sick, my great aunt twice removed is terminally ill, the library wanted me to do a performance for the children. I can't believe I can't think of anymore!" Kagome thought to herself. With that, she put on a cheery smile. "Why not!"

"Great!" Hojo responded enthusiastically. "How about Hell's Kitchen?"

"You want me to go to Hell with you?" Kagome asked.

Hojo laughed heartily as Kagome held in a grimace. "Kagome, you are too funny. Let's meet at 7 pm?"

Kagome rolled her eyes discreetly. "Sure, let's meet tomorrow at Hell's Kitchen. 7 pm."

"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?" Hojo asked.

"No!" Kagome shouted.

She paused. "I mean, no, thanks, Hojo. See you then," Kagome finished in a calmer voice.

Kagome walked away as Hojo waved frantically, "See you then, Kagome!" He dropped his basket and in a much quieter voice said, "I love you. And tomorrow, I'm going to man up."

Hojo fist pumped.

And the other patrons began to move away quickly. "Never do that again, dude," an 8-year-old advised. "Like, ever. Please. For us all." His mother nodded.