Disclaimer: I own Nothing
Authors Note: Inuyasha point of view.

Chapter 3

The first thing I had come to associate with work was music.

Being assistant manager, I kind of figured it was part of the job description to get to work early to go over inventory, so it was a definite surprise when during my first week there, I drove into the parking lot at 7, to find the place completely opened up already. I was sure that maybe I had set my alarm wrong and it was actually 8, but checking my watch, the gold Rolex on my wrist clearly read 7:05. Now what kind of insane phsyco freak would wake up at 6 just to get here before me? Of there own free will no less?

I walked up to the main entrance to find the doors already unlocked, and upon stepping inside, was greeted with a loud blast of music. This was how I had come to fully meet the eldest of the Higurashi sisters.

A tall, thin girl with long dark hair swept into a ponytail was already positioned behind the counter, black uniform apron on, busily segregating the sweet and lows from the equals in one of the sugar containers.

She looked so intently concentrated on this task that I was actually a bit intimated to interrupt her, so I settled for walking casually behind the counter also, and stretched my arm up and over her head to reach the shelf that held the coffee filters. She didn't even flinch.

The radio that I had assumed the music was blaring from actually wasn't a radio at all. The girl had brought a pretty impressive ihome with her, and a black, sleek ipod nano in pristine condition was currently jacked on the port. I didn't even recognize the song; although it sounded pretty old, definitely something pre-90's, with a bouncy beat and music synthesizers.

'I wonder if she even knows I'm here,' I thought to myself as I balanced the box of filters on my right thigh. Successfully retrieving one, I slipped a little, and a couple of filters fell out, but I calmly stepped over them and walked towards the coffee maker.

"Hey! I just organized those!" she yelled suddenly, over the music.

I turned around, wondering at first what she was talking about, to see her quickly bend down on the floor to scoop up the filters.

"Now these have been contaminated because I have NOT sterilized the floor yet, and therefore must be thrown away! This is a waste of paper! Do you realize how many trees your killing? Honestly, learn to be a little more careful." She huffed, stepping on the lever for the tin garbage bin and throwing the filters away.

I just stood there, the red Maxwell container in my right hand, staring at her. Was this chick for real?

"Oh, now look at what you've done!" she cried glowering at me. She was glaring at my feet and glancing down, I noticed the admittedly scruffy converse I had on had tracked a few pieces of dirt and a couple blades of grass onto her clean floor.

She looked like she was seriously about the throw something at me, and I would have actually ducked had the front door not made its signature "ding" signaling someone had walked inside.

The girl in front of me immediately turned her attention to the new comer before palming her face into her hand dramatically, and yelling; "Great, would you just look at this!"

Listening to her, I looked at yet another girl walking casually into the building. She was shorter and curvier than the other one, and her hair was curlier, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. Her face was totally obscured with huge, dark sunglasses, and in her short white tee and frayed denim shorts, she looked more like she was ready for a day at the beach than a day at work.

She waved her hand at the taller one (Kikyo, I suddenly remembered) in a dismissive gesture and flip flopped over to me. Standing next to her, I noticed she smelled clean and sweet, like soap, with the faint, lingering scent of smoke clinging to her hair. Not even seeming to notice that I was holding the coffee, she quickly spooned a few tablespoons of it from my hand into the coffeemaker, and then filled it up with water from a nearby water bottle. Finally jabbing her finger on the button, she started stretching as the machine sputtered to life. Throwing her arms over her head like that, her ample chest stuck out and I stared for a second before blushing like an idiot and looking away.

Meanwhile, Kikyo was on a rampage.

"…didn't even call, and not even a note! I had no idea where you were, Kagome, for all I knew you could have been abducted by one of those creeps you're always hanging out with, and you could be dead in a gutter somewhere! Seriously, I just go home to find your car gone and your cell phone isn't on? I was up all night waiting for you-"

"Kik, last I checked, you are NOT mom. Who am I kidding; you're even worse than her! Believe it or not, I'm a big girl now, and I don't need you waiting up all night for me."

She had hopped onto the counter and was dangling a flip flop off her foot. He noted her toes were painted cherry red.

Kikyo must have noticed too.

"And that is not regulation footwear Kagome!" she shouted across the counter.

"Dear God, It's like staying with grandma living with you!" Kagome finally screamed back. "I know you haven't had a date with dear old "Shessy-poo" in forever, but don't get all jealous and upset with me for actually having a life!" she hollered, her fist shaking so hard that the charms on a bracelet around her wrist were clinking together. The funky song ended and the diner was eerily quiet.

Kikyo drew in a little gasp and her eyes got huge like she had been slapped. Then she went back to her sugar bowls, now jerkily lining the packets up so that they were all perfectly straight across.

Kagome was now standing in front of the coffee machine, at the opposite end of the island, gripping the counter top so fiercely her knuckles were white.

I felt frozen, like I was in the middle of a mine field. Clearly these two were bat-shit crazy, and I really didn't want to chance one of them registering my existence and freaking out on me, so I figured the best thing to do was keep quiet. I slowly began to inch backwards toward the kitchen without making any sudden movements.

Finally the coffee was ready, and Kagome pulled the entire pot out and took a sip. Sighing loudly, she yanked off her sunglasses and turned around to face me.

Of course she was beautiful, or would be if I didn't already know her personality. She was obviously prettier than her sister and pretty girls were always bitches. They simply knew they were hot, and because of this they though it gave them the right to walk all over everyone else. And even though I admit I did kind of check her out before, I knew a girl like this, a pretty and normal girl, wouldn't give the light of day to a guy like me. Somehow, that just made it easier to dislike her, and to be more than a little nervous around her too.

She was narrowing her blue, kohl rimmed eyes, shooting me a fixed stare that pointedly said get lost.

I didn't need to be told twice. Quickly ducking into the kitchen, I yanked on the black polo shirt Kaede had given me with the gold name tag that read assistant manager on it. Just as I was about to go out through the back door, I heard what was going on out in front;

"I'm sorry." I heard Kagome say softly.

Kikyo sniffed, like she was close to crying. "You're always sorry." She muttered

"I know."

Peeking around the corner, I saw Kikyo hunched over the counter top and kagome move up next to her, gently dropping her head on kikyos shoulder.

"Kik, I'm so sorry. I know I should have called, its just that Hiten invited me to go sailing with him, and before I knew it, it was night, and then he invited me back to his place, and then-"

"Wait, wait, wait, Hiten? The guy from the sports store?" kikyo asked, looking up a little.

Kagome, her head still resting against kikyos, started giggling.

"Yeah, it was the most random thing in the world, there I was, just like, out of the shower, hanging out in a freaking towel, when he calls out of nowhere, and I totally forgot who he even was but…"

I started walking away. Somehow, I got the feeling that those two fought a lot, and it always resolved itself one way or another. I stepped out into the early sunlight, onto the porch steps and lit a cigarette. There was at least another hour before opening and I got the feeling I was gonna need it.

A/N: See Kagome can be sweet…when she wants to be.