A.N. Prepare for a long, long, long chapter, guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Fray or Inuyasha but I do own my own version of it.
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Simply Business
(Tsuki)
Chapter Fourteen
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As Kagome drove to Sesshoumaru's enviable house from the apartment complex, she continuously stroked the pack of thongs she had barely let go of since she got them.
She turned up the radio and sang, despite the fact that the words she was using, were in no way part of the song 'Over My Head,' by The Fray.
"Gonna wear a thong,
Ses-shou-ma-ru is gonna wear a thong,
He'll be surprised when he finds them all…"
She bobbed her head along with the catchy beat unmindful of the odd looks she was receiving from adjacent cars as she stopped at a red light. Her fingers tapped on beat with the song on the steering wheel.
"I'll have to run when he opens up that drawer…
But that's how it's got to be.
I'll laugh and laugh until I can't breathe.
I'll turn around and look but I won't see,
The back of his pur—ple un-der-wear…"
Kagome resorted to humming as she executed a turn and gave the bag another one handed stroke. "I wonder what I can make for lunch."
She cocked her head to the side, "I could cut some potato wedges…" She pursed her lips in thought as she mentally planned, "And …prep some tomato Udon. Ooh! We can have Yakisoba for dinner. If I have enough time, Rin and I can make Strawberry sweet cakes."
She had not yet come to the connection that Shippou was now her ward for the time being.
Kagome quickly pulled in front of Sesshoumaru's house signing under her breath.
"Sesshoumaru is going to wear a thong,
He'll be surprised when he finds them all…"
She killed the engine and exited with her beloved package.
She took out her set of keys and found the front door's keyhole. Within seconds, she was inside and had the door was then closed behind her.
Kagome slipped off her shoes and whistled for 'Gome. "Here, girl!"
The dog happily bounded towards her, barking cheerfully. Kagome put down her package on the floor and lifted the dog, "Good 'Gome. Now let's make sure you're set for lunch."
Hopefully 'Gome would be fed during her break away.
"I should see if I should take you home. Souta would love you." Kagome gave the golden dog an Eskimo kiss before setting the pup down in the kitchen. Sure they had a cat…but her Buyo and movement did not really mix…
Kagome easily found the almost empty bowl on the tiled floor and filled it with the dog food that Kagome had gotten for the puppy at the supermarket. She looked in the fridge and added took out some leaves of vegetables before placing them into the bowl, "I have to get some different foods while I'm gone. You can't be happy with that dry bowl of kibble."
In retrospect, they really had not gotten much for Gome other than toys and the sweater that it definitely was too warm for.
'Gome seemed to nod her furry head furiously before heading to the bowl.
Kagome filled the water bowl. "I should get you some vitamins too." Kagome sighed, "I need a list!"
The raven haired girl went over to the fridge where there was a magnetized notepad and pen.
As Kagome went to rip off a sheet of paper, she noticed something written on the top sheet.
She instantly recognized Sesshoumaru's handwriting. She took it off and read aloud, "'Please note, since I am sure you had forgotten, that you will from now on you will be taking care of Shippou, as well as Rin. He is enrolled in the same Elementary school as Rin, so they will be home at the same time.'"
Kagome made an 'o' with her mouth and blinked. "Well now…" She folded the note and pocketed it. "I had a feeling that I was forgetting something."
She for some reason kept thinking that Shippou had gone with Sara.
Kagome smiled, "I don't mind at all though. That just adds to the perks." She smiled, "I'm definitely catching up to Sango."
She quickly scribbled down a personal grocery list:
-Gome food
-Liquid Vitamins
She left put more dashes, incase she thought of something.
Kagome cleaned the kitchen as she worked, getting ingredients for her mental menu. She got out five large potatoes, the salt container, and found a peeling knife. After getting a cutting board and a larger knife, Kagome set to peeling them.
It took her a few minutes to completely de-skin the potatoes and soon she had them all peeled. She placed them on the cutting board and took the larger knife and cut each of the five in half.
She began creating wedges from the ten potatoes and placed them in the bowl.
All through the process, Kagome continued singing her self written song. She already had memorized the song that was now stuck in her head.
As soon as she set up the oil, for her wedges, she had bolted to the front door as it heated and gotten the pack.
She rushed upstairs, two steps at a time and soon found Sesshoumaru's room. She stealthily opened the door and with a rapidly beating heart, she looked for his underwear drawer.
"I feel like such a pervert!" She rolled her eyes and scrunched up her nose, 'Well I am perusing a man's room for his undies so that I can take and hide them. I surely think that hands down defines some kind of grade A sicko.'
She found the long searched for drawer that was filled to the brim with different colored and designed silk and cotton boxers.
Kagome looked for someplace to put them.
She quickly scrambled to his bed and looked under it. It was completely barren and it was completely perfect. "I doubt he'll think to look under here."
Kagome quickly took the boxers, feeling as if she were some college panty thief.
She had to make two separate trips from the drawer to underneath the bed, before she completely got them all.
The raven haired girl then ripped open the package Jakotsu had bought and laid each thong neatly and spread them out along the wooden bottom of the drawer.
"Once he finds me, I know that I'll be dead,
Yeah I'll be dead
With just sec-onds left to sur-vive,
I will surely die,
I'll sure--ly die…"
Kagome bobbed her head cheerfully despite the gruesome scenarios that could be concocted once he opened that drawer.
Kagome giggled in spite of the fact that she may have just incited her own death as she returned the bedding to its original position and exited the room, leaving it empty once again.
She quickly raced to the kitchen to check on the oil…and wash her hands…
The oil was close to being hot enough to fry.
She decided to bide her time by seeing what the Taisho's fridge was lacking in.
To her list, she added:
-milk( It would seem Sesshoumaru either made Rin guzzle the stuff, or he was a milk fiend, for the gallon that she had picked up was dangerously low).
-eggs
-Potatoes
-Blueberries (Apparently they were Rin's favorite fruits. She could not have gone through the packs any quicker, even if she inhaled them
-coffee (Suddenly she realized where all that milk was going….
As she noticed the growing list of low amounts of the things that needed to be bought she decided that she would just sit down with a flyer and circle things here and there, then go shopping for them.
It was almost ironic.
She never put so much effort into shopping for herself and Sango and yet here she was, making lists and even mental budgets. She let out a small snort and added half of the plate of wedges into the boiling pot of vegetable oil.
She closed the kitchen door as the potatoes fried and started on the Udon after setting the stove top timer for a few minutes.
Kagome grabbed a pack of thick udon noodles, tomato paste, soy sauce, and a can of dashi broth from the pantry.
After setting them down she cracked her knuckles. "Now begins all the fun, technical stuff."
Kagome grabbed a saucer and set that the broth boil as she retrieved a package of leeks and tossed it to the counter before snagging a bag of spinach and mushrooms.
Once those were on the counter, she put the noodles to boil and lowered the heat on the broth until it was almost nonexistent. Kagome went back to the fridge and took out a few random vegetables.
Kagome threw some pieces of chicken from the soup she had made earlier into a bowl and then rinsed the mushrooms.
She put the spinach in a bowl adjacent to it and poured on the broth for it to cook a bit. Both the mushrooms and a head of broccoli went into the spinach along with the tomato paste and soy sauce.
A shrill beeper went off and Kagome swiftly took out the potato wedges before she put them on a paper towel covered plate and put in the second batch.
After that she returned to her Udon and continued to boil certain items and put aside others. She mixed and separated some more for a few minutes longer.
Kagome got a bigger pot and put everything into it and added a few pinches of salt.
"Phew…" She was happy to finally be able to leave the mix alone. The first fifteen minutes was filled with cooking a lot ingredients separately and then after that, she was able to just let everything cook completely and not have to worry about several different item filled pots or dishes.
Kagome took out the second batch of wedges and put them with the first ones. She took the plate and after finding a metal pan, covered it with foil and the potatoes and put the wedges in the quickly heating oven after sprinkling them with more salt.
It was then that the door bell rung and Kagome quickly rushed out to answer it.
Rin stood there with Shippou who was avidly trying to catch a butterfly.
Kagome laughed, "Hey you two! How was school?"
They both attacked her legs as Kagome awkwardly closed the front door, while trying not to trip as they told her simultaneously about their day.
She smiled after they finished and said, "Lunch is almost ready, so dress down and wash up. You can help each other with homework so you're both free to play all weekend, while I finish up.Maybe just maybe I might think of a small present for you guys if you finish up quickly!"
Kagome almost toppled over as the two quickly released her legs and raced upstairs to do as she said.
The older girls laughed.
They were definitely the ultimate perks to having a job.
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(Tsuki)
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The three spent the afternoon crafting Strawberry Sweet cakes which were basically powered sugar covered homemade doughnuts with sweet paste and strawberry filling. Kagome told the two it was a small farewell gift since she would not see them until Sunday or possibly even Monday.
They had looked crushed, but had taken it better than she thought they would.
Of course after that, Kagome had to correct their homework, as they played in their room. Although it had been done in record time, it was a concoction of rushed and random answers, before she set them down to watch TV and she started dinner.
She was just finishing when she heard something that made her blood run cold. Suddenly, Kagome froze as she heard the unexpected jingling of keys in the garage door lock.
She looked at the clock, "It's only six o'clock! Does that man even work?"
The 'that man' she was complaining about walked in through the door. His hair was dripping wet and he looked completely put off. His skin looked even paler than normal.
Kagome blinked, "Did you fall in something?"
Sesshoumaru scowled, his blonde hair plastered to his face and yet still better looking that hers. He ran a hand down his drenched locks to get rid of the dripping and shook his head.
"It's raining." Perhaps that was the consequence of taking off early for no reason. As soon as he had stepped out into the parking lot it had started pouring…
Kagome held back laughter as she took his briefcase from him and took off his jacket. "I'll throw this in the dryer. Strip down and hand over the rest."
Sesshoumaru raised a brow and Kagome blushed furiously, "Not here though!"
The silver haired man snorted, "I'll give you them after I take a shower."
Kagome paled, "A w-what?"
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "A bath."
Kagome looked down at the area where his boxers would be, "And will you change your undies?"
Sesshoumaru stared at her and suppressed a shudder, "…If you'll excuse me…."
Kagome bit her bottom lip nervously and followed him, "Oh who needs a shower? You just took one outside!"
He did not spare her a glance, "Rain does not come with temperature control." He quickened his pace and Kagome pulled on his drenched shirt, "Wouldn't you rather sit down and have a potatoes wedge? They're warm!" she tried to tempt him in a sign song tone.
Sesshoumaru removed her hand, "I am going to take a shower…Go." He pointed in some vague direction and Kagome instead rushed in front of him and sat down on the steps to block his path.
Shippou and Rin ignored the two in favor of the television.
The red haired boy even went to the trouble of turning up the volume.
Sesshoumaru's finely sculptured brow twitched and he muttered, "What is wrong with you?"
He neatly stepped over her and Kagome grasped at his pant legs, "Don't go! I'll die! Didn't you hear the song?"
Sesshoumaru tugged his legged free without even bothering to comment. He knew she was insane but really…Had she completely snapped overnight?
Kagome paled as she heard a door slam and lock, "Holy shit…he's going to kill me." She hadn't expected him to be home so soon.
And to shower now?!
She hadn't expected that either.
Well…There was a small glimpse of hope in the idea that maybe he liked to spend his Friday nights going commando…
She groaned, "Yeah right!"
She heard the rush of a shower and bolted from the steps, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die." Kagome drifted into the kitchen and shut off the fire underneath the Yakisoba and hid underneath the kitchen table.
Each tick of the clock found her blood turning colder and colder. There was a moment however when she felt another glimpse of hopefulness, "Maybe he drowned…He's been in there a good ten minutes…" Not that that was long…
But either way, that dream was not only dashed when she heard the water shut off, it was also crushed when she heard a door open.
Kagome rocked back and force, "I am about to piss off the last guy on earth that should ever be pissed off."
Another door opened and Kagome thought she might just piss herself.
However, there was silence…
Complete and utter silence…
Until there came eerily soft footsteps on the stairwell. Kagome shut her eyes tightly. 'Crap! He must be furious!'
It became silent once again.
Kagome poked her head from under the table after a moment. And screamed.
Sesshoumaru was still drenched, however, this time he was sans clothing. He stood glaring at her, wrapped in only a towel.
Kagome laughed, her voice high pitched and squeaky, "Um…heh, I think you forgot your clothes. Better go and… you know, put some on!" She giggled again and Sesshoumaru lifted his left arm and his hand held a pink and black patterned thong, "What is this?"
Kagome laughed, her voice not having come down from the two octaves it rose to, "I think that's what youngsters call a 'thong'! I didn't know you wore those! You learn something new each day! Wow…"
Sesshoumaru advanced on her, "Why were these in my drawer?"
The petite girl backed up and said with in a rushed breath and a helpless shrug, "Maybe your homosexual friend bought it for you one day because he thought your regular underwear was unattractive and so he got you a pack of thongs which you decided to use in some twisted revenge plot against your employer because he made fun of your hair? I dunno!"
Sesshoumaru had to blink, "…What?"
Kagome twiddled her thumbs and questioned back, "Hm?"
Suddenly two chubby hands grabbed onto Sesshoumaru's towel and yanked it down. For the first time, since meeting the man, she saw his face completely overtaken with surprise. "Ha-ha! I pants-ed you, old man!" Shippou did a small dance and Kagome gawked.
Kagome's face flared up and she let out a sharp scream as she came to a sudden realization.
Sesshoumaru was stark naked.
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(Tsuki)
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Kagome blush did not dwindle as she was once again forced to sit on the same side as Sesshoumaru.
Of course the seating arrangement was mostly for Shippou's sake…
Said red haired imp was mischievously grinning as he ate his food and Rin was trying hard to laugh.
Sesshoumaru looked as if he were mentally killing everyone in the room…save Rin.
He suddenly turned to her and scowled, his cold voice barely containing his annoyance, "Know that I blame you."
Kagome sighed, "Yeah I know. I didn't see anything though, so don't worry. What's down there is still only your business. So it all turned out well. You got your boxers back—I'm not dead. And I learned a very valuable lesson too. Alls well that ends well, right?"
Sesshoumaru looked at the knife on the napkin next to his plate and then at her.
Kagome laughed sheepishly and slowly took it and tossed it under the table. "I hadn't expected it to go so poorly…Sorry."
Sesshoumaru turned back to his food. He took one last bite before rising from the table and excusing himself.
Kagome sighed and after a moment, she turned to Rin and Shippou, "I'm going to head to my dorm to pick up Sango. I'll see you two later."
She stood and hugged both as they said their good byes.
Kagome stood and made her way into the kitchen, "I should put Sesshoumaru's clothes in the dryer…I did say I would."
She quickly took the pile that had been left of the kitchen table and head down to the basement. She quickly shoved the small load into the dryer and turned it on before heading back upstairs.
Kagome returned upstairs to find it completely empty. She sighed.
What a way to end her first week.
Kagome wrote down a small apologetic good bye on the fridge door and gathered her things. She was taking back the thongs-not that she ever wanted to wear them.
But she was afraid that were she to leave them, Sesshoumaru would completely snap and turn into some Asia Hulk.
She giggled in spite of herself and exited the house giving one last kiss to Gome.
As she stood getting ready to close the door, she sighed yet again, "Good bye…"
And she closed the door and walked down the walkway to her car feeling more than lonely in the fast approaching night.
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(Tsuki)
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Sesshoumaru walked downstairs into the living room. He had spent more than a good hour in his study and he was now calm enough to see Shippou without wanting to bring physical harm to the trouble maker.
He was definitely that woman's son…
But oddly enough, the room was empty.
Sesshoumaru frowned. The television was off and the room was empty. Gome sat dejectedly pawing at the front door.
Sesshoumaru thought nothing of it until he continued his search.
The dining room brought similar results. Sesshoumaru felt a bit worried as he quickened his pace up the steps and looked into their bedrooms.
Nothing…
He tried several other rooms that he knew Rin liked to play in…
And he did not see either child.
He checked every room twice over…
And finally, Sesshoumaru sank against the hallway wall and admitted defeat.
They were…gone.
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(Tsuki)
A.N. Long chapter but a terrible cliffy lol.