A.N. I love you guys tons! I kind of noticed recently that this fic had over 700 hundred reviews. I was awed. As I mentioned in my profile, I never expected this to succeed Delightfully Disastrous. I mean I started this when I was in middle school lol. I didn't even expect to break double digits. But I have and I am more than thankful to those who have been with me through my accomplishments, losses, and my failures. It's been amazing but we're way more than half way there. I'm thinking about ending this in about ten more chapters, so wish me luck! And a very Merry Christmas to all you readers! Happy Holidays!
Dedication: To my 700th reviewer! (A thank you for you is also posted in my profile!)
Synopsis: Kagome finally goes out with Kouga, however in the same week, Sango gets her heart broken by Mirouku who turns out to be less than perfect. She quit her job and after a long and stressful week, she and Kagome head back to Kyoto. When they return, they find Mirouku at their dormitory.
-
Simply Business
(Tsuki)
Chapter Twenty
-
-
(Tsuki)
Someone who had the ability to make the brunette's features become overwhelmed by a pained looked…Someone able to make her drop her bag and freeze upon hearing their voice… A person that just with the sight of their raven hair, midnight eyes, and flustered cheeks would have completely taken away her strength…
And there was only one 'someone' like that. Only one person who could do that to her. And that was Mirouku.
"I need to talk to you." He murmured, and dazedly Sango had the urge to turn around and face him.
But the dull ache in her heart held her back.
Kagome gently bent down and retrieved Sango's bag. The brunette tensed at the movement and Kagome placed a calming hand on her friend's shoulder in response. Sango eased up a little as Kagome softly asked, "What do you want to do?"
The raven haired girl flashed her a comforting smile and Sango gently pushed open the front door and took a step in, mildly curious as to what was playing across Mirouku's face, but completely determined not to look back.
"I'll get over this…I'm a strong person."
Sango had said that once to Kagome. Years back in high school. It was so long ago that she forgot the reason as to why she said, but she did remember saying it. She had uttered it in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood, but her friend had gotten angry with her and said,
"There's no such thing as a strong person because every single one of us has limits. Some just have theirs set higher than others, but ultimately there is no exception."
And then her resolve broke.
If this were to end, she needed to end it completely. Kagome saw her pause and take a step backwards. She closed the door and sighed. "I should hear him out…"
Sango turned and she came face to face with an interpretable mask. Midnight eyes starred intently into hers and underneath the stoic gaze, she saw a small hint of relief. She broke eye contact, not wanting to give herself anymore expectations or hopes.
She rubbed her arm wearily, "If you never liked me, say it. If you had just been playing around, let me hear it. Don't draw this out. Be direct and let me move on," she pleaded softly.
Kagome looked at Sango, then Mirouku before trying to quietly give the two privacy, but Sango caught her arm.
The raven haired girl gently removed the appendage, "This is between the two of you. I'll be right behind that door." she pointed to the entrance of the apartment complex, "You need me, and I'll come out."
Admittedly, a part of her had hoped Sango would have gone inside. She honestly wanted to have a talk with that guy. Pretty face or not, all of that crap he had pulled was unacceptable.
But that part of her with that aforementioned hope was also the part that lacked any realism.
That small annoying voice of reason kept mocking her with a scenario of how that would play out.
"And what exactly is it that you wanted to say?"
Mirouku's somewhat stoic mask cracked and a look of frustration crept onto his features and into his pitch, "You know very well that I meant Sango."
"Consider this rehearsal," Kagome coolly responded before repeating in a calm tone, "What is it that you wanted to say? Sango's the closest friend I've ever had. Whatever you say to her, you damn well could say it to me, because I'd still end up finding out, regardless of whether it's from you or her."
There was a pregnant span of quiet.
Mirouku raked a hand through his hair. "…Well this is awkward…"
Kagome grimaced.
She felt a slight blush brush across her cheeks. Apparently her little voice of reason was remotely ill… Why it had projected that scenario, she was fairly uncertain. After all…when did she ever make a situation awkward?
So without a functioning voice of reason, she completely doubted whether or not she would successfully handle the situation.
Kagome let out a resigned sigh and squeezed Sango's hand. Yes…She definitely couldn't be the one to talk to him. Besides, she didn't know all the facts, though she wholeheartedly wanted to.
Sango gave an accepting smile in return and Kagome took a step towards the door. She turned to give Mirouku a warning glance. Her scathing gaze did nothing though to diminish the control of his features. He did, though give a small nod of his head to show that he understood her unvoiced caveat.
When the door closed with a muted click, Mirouku's posture eased a bit as Sango looked at him inquiringly, "So what is it?"
---
Kagome heard the slightly subdued voice of her friend through the door, and was relieved that she could make out what she was saying.
Although she did not feel it appropriate to stand there during the conversation…Eaves-dropping behind closed doors was something she could live with.
She pressed her back to the wall to get in the closest range possible.
"….Mirouku Tatoushi."
The name Tatoushi, really sparked her interest. Her thoughts immediately went to Ryuu's raven locks with the shocks of white along the sides and his teasing violet eyes.
Certainly there were some stark similarities and she recalled that Sango had told her that the two were related.
There was a sudden stretch of silence between the two.
---
Sango laughed, the sound was uncertain, "What?"
He rubbed the back of his head, "I never gave you my last name did I?"
Sango cocked her head to the side, unsure of how to respond. She took a seat on the steps in front of the complex and let out a sudden sigh. "Sango Takinama."
Mirouku fiddled with the bottom of his dove white turtle neck. The initial blasé façade was gone. Slowly he took a seat next to her and asked. "How long have you known Kagome-san? You seem close."
"We grew up together," she explained simply.
He smiled wryly. Another stretch of silence persisted, one which Sango broke instead. "I still have a lot of time before I have to get ready for my night class. But if you think that I'm going to sit here for that long, not get any explanation, and accept that—" She did not finish the sentence, instead she looked at him, suddenly angry. "Why can't you just explain yourself!?"
She brought her gaze to him, desperately she repeated. "Don't draw this out."
Mirouku again seemed overcome by frustration, "I didn't come here to draw things out! I came to speak to you. I need to explain myself." He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes as if organizing his thoughts.
Sango took in his appearance. He looked a bit haggard and worn. His clouded face was a stark contrast to the turtleneck he wore.
She felt her heart wrench at the site of him. It ached for the timid but relaxed association they had had before.
She turned her head stiffly, to face forward, but placed a hand shakily upon his. In the corner of her eye should see his sharply turn his head to her and she felt him tense.
He smiled, and then eased a bit. He ran a hand through his hair and said after a moment, "…I met my father almost a decade ago, though he has no real knowledge of my visit." His smile took on a sardonic tint, "I was quite the subversive teen back then so I was not content under my grandfather's strict ruling. So, I had ventured from Paris—my homeland, and had gone in search of Ryuu. My mother was a somewhat quixotic daughter of a wealthy aristocrat—my grandfather, so I had more than enough money at my disposal to do so and she had not minded the trip either."
Sango turned slightly to look at him. His gaze was directed towards his other hand that hung limply over his knees. "I found his company and had meant to introduce myself then; contrary to my intentions though, his secretary ended up telling me he was on vacation. He had been visiting friends in Kyoto." He ran that idle appendage through his hair once again, "So that was my next stop. I got the address and trekked my way through Kyoto."
He looked up at her, "Seven Hinomura Drive."
It was Sango's turn to look at him in surprise. "My address?" She questioned hoarsely.
He nodded a bit, "Even if I had the faintest clue as to what would happen when I saw my father, seeing you still never would have crossed my mind."
Sango furrowed her brows, her mind whirling, "So you… before Ryuu's party—?"
"I don't know what I felt when I saw you, but I lost all of my resolve and just went home. Even though I got a glimpse of my father then—I just couldn't approach him… or you."
He shifted and once again resumed kneading the end of his turtleneck. "When mother died, I was placed under Ryuu's custody. I decided to stay in Paris since I was almost eighteen anyway. But that lasted only a month after the funeral. I suppose a part of me wanted to connect with him. I was very close to my mother and it felt only right to get to know the only man she had loved... So I moved here. I took a job with his company after I graduated from college doing mostly summer part-time. That was until this summer when I joined on completely and then I finally was introduced to you."
'Introduced to…?' Sango thought. "Jakotsu..." she murmured without realizing she had spoken.
Mirouku rubbed the back of my head, "He's probably the only one besides you that I've ever told about my trip to Kyoto. He's always been the one giving me a good slap, sometimes literally," He added in an undertone, "any time I decided to try chicken out when it came to you." His hand returned to his knee. "When I came here before your volleyball game…I—"
"That was a mistake on my part, Mirouku. I found out later that Jakotsu was the 'pervert.' I-I'm sorry for blaming you for that." Her brows knit together in utter perplexity, "But why didn't you just deny it?! Why did you let me pin that on you?"
He scowled, "You heard the rumors by now. I'm the 'office player'."
Sango removed her hand from his and wrapped her arms loosely around torso, "Why can't you let me give me reason to give you the benefit of the doubt?"
In her head she pleaded, 'I want to trust you…'
"…To most women, I'm a walking bank account. My grandfather, although he forced my parent's divorce, was quite fond of me. Even now, he still sends me prompt stipends. And my father? Of course there's money in fronting a corporation like his." Again his hand rushed through his bangs.
"Word spreads quickly in an office and I was asked out countless times for less than scrupulous reasons. To some extent, I enjoyed showing them what it felt like to be used. I enjoyed promising those women the world and then ending things before following through. I was like that even in Paris..."
Sango shifted her body away from him, "I don't understand…I—am I in that category too?"
He lost the rest of his composition. With what sounded like incredulity he said, "Not even from the start! That's the thing…Everything about you…You were just different." He stressed the word with uncertainty.
"Yet you still couldn't trust me with anything?!" she questioned. Flustered, she said, "If you at least said you regretted it. If you actually regretted not telling me or looked like you regretted the way things turned out that day—!"
In a quiet voice, he murmured, "In all honesty I do… I do regret that. I've spent every single moment berating my stupidity." He touched her arm and forced her to face him, "I was in my father's office when you came in because I was angry at him for not telling me about your promotion. If I had known beforehand I would have talked to you about everything. I certainly intended to tell you everything."
"But why didn't you sooner?"
"Ever since I saw you, I've had this inane urge for you to like me for who I was and not what I had. I could never explain it…Like I said, you were different. There was something unguarded about you…sincere." He released her arm, "I'll admit, I handled last week's situation childishly and I apol—"
Sango abruptly slid closer to him and placed her hands so that they were cupping his cheeks, "I'm going to ask you three questions—No more no less, and that's how I'm going to determine whether or not I will go through those doors and not give a shit enough to turn around."
She closed her eyes for a moment, "We can both agree that you were an idiot and all these explanations are too damn long, so all you need to do is just answer yes or no." He remained silent as she looked into his eyes intently.
"Are you sorry?"
He looked back at her with furrowed brows, "I've never wanted to take back anything more—"
She interrupted, "Mirouku…? Yes or no."
"Yes!"
"Can you honestly say that you don't plan on messing around with me?"
"Yes…" He seemed to struggle not to anything more.
Her hands left his face and she extended a hand, "Can we please start over as friends again?"
He looked at her and she blushed slightly, "I want to believe you, and I feel I can trust you enough to give you a second chance. Can we be friends?"
Mirouku smiled a bit and shook his head, "No…"
Sango swallowed hard and the color drained from her face. She furrowed her brows and started to stand.
Mirouku pulled her back down into his lap with a grin and murmured impishly, "I don't want to be just friends."
And with that…he kissed her.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
Kagome went to class, somewhat relieved. "Oh who am I kidding? I'm absolutely elated! I couldn't be happier!" she stepped into the classroom with a spring in her step.
Things were looking pretty well between Sango and Mirouku. That is of course if that kiss said anything.
Her face flushed a bit.
But of course, the only reason she had known they had kissed was because she had burst through the front door prior to Mirouku's utterance of "no".
Apparently she had missed whatever he said after that that had caused the two to start that rather… affectionate display in front of an apartment complex. She coughed a bit. But all that aside…
That meant she could happily engage in a relationship with Kouga without any feelings of remorse.
As she stepped into her business etiquette elective, she had to wonder though as to why she was not as happy about that as she was about Sango's patched relationship.
She was happy, sure, but when she really thought about it, the feeling was very diluted. Kagome was so consumed by her thoughts on the subject that it barely registered that she had spent the entirety of her class, dwelling on it.
The girl groaned as she took a look at the blank surface of her notebook. 'So not only did I take zero notes, I don't even remember the lecture.'
She headed towards her car, with a groan. "At least my day is over," she mused as she slipped behind the wheel.
She decided not to head back to change. Today she a bit short on time. Besides, she was dressed a bit casually today anyway. She was wearing a tan turtleneck and a suede brown pencil skirt. She had coupled it with faux fur line ankle boots and her hair was in a tidy French-braid.
Kagome looked down at herself, "So maybe casual's not the right word… But," she looked at the time posted on the dashboard, "I definitely don't have time to change." Plus, Mirouku was still there when she left for class.
He and Sango had been in the living room, talking. She had gathered that it was more about how they would proceed from this point on.
She of course had actually given them privacy this time, but she was still able to hear wisps of their conversation in her room.
Kagome smiled in remembrance as she pulled up in front of the Taisho household. Her smiled quickly vanished, however, when she saw a figure sitting on the porch.
"Oh my God, I can't be that late," she panicked and looked at her watch.
She was a good five minutes later than usual, but certainly Rin and Shippou wouldn't be home now. Kagome quickly hopped out of her car and hurriedly locked it before running up the porch steps, calling, "Rin? Shippou?"
But neither child was there sitting in front of her. Rather, what greeted her, was a wolfish grin and a husky teasing voice, "Hey, Kagome."
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
"K-Kouga?" Kagome blinked. She felt her racing heart calm slightly. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought it would be a little less creepy showing up at your work place than your dorm…" He joked, "That was a bit of a lapse of judgment on my part I'll admit. But after I got here I couldn't bring myself to turn back."
With a wry smile, he continued, "You never returned any of my messages so I got a bit worried." He flushed, "I stupidly never asked for your cell phone number, so I called your dorm line. But you never responded about Sunday, so I wanted to bring the date to you."
Kagome paled, "I promised you breakfast, didn't I?" She smacked herself lightly on the head, "And I stole your jacket!"
He assured her that it was fine but and Kagome sighed out regardless, "I'm really sorry about that. I went home to Kyoto Saturday morning and Jakotsu left a good forty messages on my answering machine. Yours must have been lost in it…"
Kouga smiled a bit sheepishly, "Like I said, don't worry about it… We can always reschedule for a better time."
He stood and brushed himself off and Kagome looked at him guiltily. 'I can't believe I forgot about Sunday! Even though I had such a great time with him and everything…'
Kagome bit her bottom lip, "Are you doing anything tonight? If not we could go out to dinner, maybe?"
The blue eyed man winced, "I have work later tonight."
"I'll make you lunch, then!" She grabbed his hands, "Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, I'm sure Rin and Shippou will be happy to have you join us!"
Kouga looked flustered, "A-are you sure?"
Kagome nodded profusely and opened the door, "I'm positive."
With that she playfully dragged him inside. Gome let out several cheerful barks from the kitchen and she heard the patter of paws against ceramic title.
Within seconds Gome had appeared and rushed to Kagome's side, pawing at her thigh and panting happily. Kouga grinned and reached down to rub the puppy's ears, "Cute girl, huh?"
Kagome smiled back and rubbed Gome's lush coat, "The cutest." Gome nipped playfully at Kouga's fingers before suddenly bounding across the room and headed towards her ever growing piles of toys.
The raven haired girl commenced her trek towards the kitchen. "Any food allergies I should know of."
Kouga shook his head, "No, not a one."
She grinned, "Good, I wouldn't want to kill you or anything. After standing you up and stealing your jacket, I don't know how you'd forgive that one, too."
He let out a deep chuckle and took a seat at the table located across from the counter. "I honestly think I could forgive you of anything Kagome," he murmured huskily as he watched her dig through the fridge for ingredients.
She peeked back out cradling a translucent bag of pasta and a can of chicken broth. "What was that?"
Kouga flushed, "Nothing." He leaned his elbows onto the table and leaned his head into his hands and asked in hopes of changing the subject, "You allergic to anything?"
Kagome tossed the items gently on the counter top and opened the freezer. She nodded a bit though he couldn't see her, "Just pecans."
She grabbed a bag of frozen spinach with a victorious exclamation. "They actually have it!"
Looks like someone had gone shopping while she was gone.
Kouga grinned, "What are you making?"
"Tortellini soup!"
Kouga looked intrigued, "Soup? With tortellini? Can you…do that?"
The girl nodded with a light laugh as she retrieved a few more things, "Sango's parents go on a three week sabbatical every few years to Italy so she picked up a lot of interesting recipes."
Kouga let out a low whistle, "I see. Her mom likes to paint, right? I remember Sango mentioning that once."
Kagome nodded and got a pot from one of the cabinets. With a cheerful chirp, she answered, "Yep." She dug into several drawers until she found a bottle opener. She used it to puncture a hole in the top of the can of broth. She poured the contents into a pot and added salt along with the spinach.
"Want me to give you a hand? I feel bad just sitting here and watching."
Kagome paused as she went to reach for a knife and turned to look at him. She smiled, "Sure. There was only one apron though…" She pointed towards the black apron she was currently wearing since she was wearing not so casual clothes.
It had amazed her to find the article within the pantry. She actually had been amusing herself with thoughts of Sesshoumaru in an apron, every time she happened to have a free moment.
Kouga grinned, "I'm sure I'll be fine without it."
Kagome handed him the spinach, "I'll still give you the least messy job, just in case. Can you rinse and chop this please?"
The blue eyed man took the bag and headed forwards the sink while Kagome set to work on several tomatoes that she had laid on the counter.
A small stream of chatter was kept up while they worked. The raven haired girl was more preoccupied with watching Kouga work.
Kagome was more surprised at how skilled Kouga actually was with the meal. He worked adeptly and the girl could not help but be impressed.
"Do you cook a lot, Kouga-kun?"
He grinned as he started on mincing onions. "My parents live in Shikoku. Since I spent all of high school knowing I was heading for a university in Tokyo, I spent the month after my acceptance learning to cook." He shrugged, "I figured if I was going to be on my own, it wouldn't be worth it to starve."
Kagome covered her mouth as a giggle erupted in her throat. "Mr. Taisho should be more like you. That guys probably burns toast! But I guess since that's one of the reasons I have a job, I shouldn't complain too much."
A frown marred the blue eyed man's features at the mention of her employer. He suddenly paused while they were cooking. He noticed a smudge of red on her face, where she had touched her face. He chuckled, "You got some tomato on you."
Kagome furrowed her brows and frowned, "I do?" She touched her cheek, "Where?"
Kouga tore a sheet of paper towels from a rack near the sink. He gently removed her hand wiped her cheek. His hand still loosely grasped hers as he removed the dab of pinkish liquid. Kagome breathed out softly, "Thanks…"
She felt a blush rise to her cheek as he suddenly put the now stained paper towel on the counter. He stared intently into her eyes for a moment before he slowly drew closer towards her. Kagome's breath caught in her throat as looked as if he intended to kiss her.
His lips were a nanosecond away from brushing hers when the doorbell rang.
Kagome's head reflexively swiveled in the direction of the noise and Kouga ended up meeting empty air as Kagome sprinted from the kitchen, "Oh I hope that's not Rin and Shippou already!"
Kouga let out a growl of annoyance. "What god awful timing!"
He leaned against the counter when something on the fridge caught his eye. It was a purple post it covered in a neat cursive.
His eyes quickly skimmed it.
'Higurashi,
Rin and Shippou will be returning early today as per my request. They are to be fed and have finished by their homework by the time I return. Shippou has a dentist appointment—'
Kouga stopped reading there, although it had one more line of text. He clenched his jaw and crumpled the note.
"That guy just pisses me off…"
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
"Rin-chan! Shippou! What are you doing home early?"
Shippou grinned as he enveloped Kagome in a hug, "The old man handed something to my teacher when he dropped me off—then I got let out early! Everyone was so jealous!"
Rin nodded her head a bit, "Papa-Sesshoumaru also gave Rin's teacher a note."
Kagome laughed, "I guess he forgot to tell me… Well lunch will be ready in a few minutes, so run upstairs and clean up."
Kouga emerged from the kitchen then, "Kagome, the broth started boiling so I added the tortellini. Hope that's okay…"
She grinned from the doorway, "Thank you!" She crouched down and put an arm around Shippou and Rin respectively, "Remember these two Kouga?" She stood and gently gave them a push towards Kouga, "Go say 'hi' to Kouga!"
Kouga rubbed the back of head awkwardly as he towered over the children, "Hey guys…"
Shippou reached up and whispered something into Rin's ear and she suddenly frowned.
The two children, one more reluctantly approached the man as Kagome closed the front door.
"Hello Stranger-san," Rin greeted with a slight lack of enthusiasm. The man shifted a bit and he smiled, "This is our third time meeting, kiddo. There's no need to keep calling me 'Stranger-san'—just call me Kouga, alright?"
Shippou scrunched up his nose. "Kagome! Why's the wolf-man here!" Kouga's brow twitched a bit. "Doesn't he have a job like the old man?"
Kagome blushed, "Shippou, don't be rude! For starters, his name is Kouga, and yes he is employed."
Rin frowned and rushed over to Kagome. She tugged at her skirt and whispered. "Shippou said that Stranger-san wants to get Kagome's pants. Rin does not like Stranger-san."
Shippou rolled his eyes, "In her pants, Rin! He wants to get in her pants!"
"Shippou!" Kagome's face flamed up and Kouga was also sporting a color only Crayola could describe.
Rin seemed about ready to cry, "He's trying to rip your pants, nee-chan!" Kagome picked up the girl and tried to calm her, "Rin-chan! I told you before, Kouga's a good friend of mine! He won't do anything to my…pants," she ended uncertainly with a faint blush.
Kouga cleared his throat and crouched down in front of Shippou, "Now who exactly taught you that kind of stuff, little guy?"
Shippou simply held out his hand. Kouga looked at him and confusion.
The red haired child pointed at the older man's hand, then at his extended palm.
Kouga uncertainly put his hand on Shippou's smaller on. The red head suddenly smiled and with a moment's hesitation, Kouga returned it.
All of a sudden, Shippou took the older man's hand to his mouth and clamped down on to the appendage.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
Kagome took a seat on the table top with a bowl of the tortellini soup in hand. Kouga was seated up the counter. She rubbed her brow, "I don't know what got into them. I honestly don't…Please don't be offended or anything."
After that mortifying moment in the living room, Kagome had sent Shippou and Rin to their respective rooms for their meals. She would further deal with them later… when she could at least look at their faces without blushing.
Kouga spooned some of the soup into his mouth. His hand was tightly bandaged. "I still can't believe he bit me….I honestly thought this hand was gone for good."
Kagome covered her face with her hands, "Sorry, Kouga-kun."
The man laughed. "Don't worry about it. I never was good with kids," he wryly commented. "But now, I guess, I can expect to be a horrible dad," he joked.
"Don't say that! I'm sure you'd make a wonderful father…" she said consolingly. "Shippou's just going through some rebellious phase—"
Kouga abruptly placed his bowl down and crossed over to where she was seated. He cupped her face gently with his hands. "Where do you see us going, Kagome?"
Kagome swallowed the contents of her mouth with a bit of difficultly. "Us?"
He took the bowl from her hands and loosely embraced her. Kagome instinctively reached up and cradled the back of his head. Kouga nuzzled her neck, "Ye—"
The door leading out to the garage chose then to open.
Kouga froze and Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the blood drain from her face.
There was only one person that could be.
She was not sure what she was expecting as a response, but she certainly did not expect his next words. There was a light scoff, "I suppose you did not see my note."
Kagome gently detangled herself from Kouga and hopped off of the counter, "Note? I didn't see a note, Mr. Taisho."
He turned to look at her before heading to the living room. He drawled, "As I said."
The tall darke haired man, ran a hand through his hair, "I think I'll head out now. Thanks for the lunch," he said a bit gruffly.
Kagome blinked, "Kouga-kun—?"
"We'll talk later, okay? Bye," he murmured briskly, and planted a gentle yet possessive kiss on her unsuspecting lips. Before she could get out another word, he had left the room, leaving the raven haired girl standing uncomfortably in the middle of the room.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
When Sesshoumaru walked back into the kitchen, moments later, Kagome was still staring dazedly at the doorway.
"I was willing to ignore the presence of that Neanderthal," He rubbed his temples, "But I am curious as to why Rin and that child are eating upstairs?"
Sesshoumaru movements were brisk as he moved about the kitchen looking through cabinets as he spoke.
"I'm sure sitting them in front of the television would have sufficed for whatever intentions you had for bringing that thing here." He finally pulled out a bag of packaged ground coffee. "I at least hope you had them do their homework. But perhaps one should not place hope in incompetence."
Kagome could not bring herself to respond…or move. She simply stood there going over everything that had happened since Kouga arrived.
He snorted and murmured, "No response to my badgering?" He looked slightly amused, "And what has brought upon this state of shock, Higurashi? Besides of course, the utterly mortifying situation that just occurred."
Sesshoumaru then produced a black, sleek coffee maker from the same cupboard. He plugged it into a wall outlet and placed it on the counter. He began prepping the coffee before he turned to her.
Sesshoumaru walked up to her, "Are you ill? I have accepted the fact that you have mental issues—" He placed the back of his hand against her forehead.
"Hn?" Kagome jolted back into reality. Her eyes rose slowly until brown met amber. She stared into the mocking amber eyes that looked back into hers. She felt her cheeks flame up.
"…You feel warm." The amusement left the amber orbs suddenly and Sesshoumaru frowned asking again, in a more serious tone, "Are you ill?"
Her mouth opened to answer unable to pull her eyes from his. His hand stayed where it was and suddenly Kagome was starkly aware of the rapid pace of her heart beat.
She swallowed and finally replied hoarsely, "…I-I don't know…."
Sesshoumaru removed his hand finally. Although it had been there for a minute at the most, it had felt as if it had been an eternity. She could still feel the warmth it had emitted.
Kagome swayed a bit and she heard a sigh. "Shall I call your boyfriend back? You are clearly not capable of taking yourself home."
She replied instinctively, "He's not my boyfriend!" Sesshoumaru raised a brow as she shook her head, "That's not what I meant! Kouga-kun…We…I like." She froze and looked bewildered. Kagome tried to compose herself. She breathed out, "What, I meant to say is that I'm fine, Mr. Taisho."
Sesshoumaru looked at her, "And just what is this sudden obsession with addressing me with my proper title?"
Kagome closed her eyes, "…I don't know…" She let out an exasperated sigh, "I think I should leave now."
She touched her lips, "I really want to leave now."
Sesshoumaru moved closer to her and grabbed her wrist as she turned to leave. In a serious tone he said, "If you are sick, tell me and I will drive you to your dormitory or call for Sango if that is what you wish."
Kagome forced a smile, "It's fine… I-I promise." And with that she rushed out of the house.
Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly to the side as he tried to register what happened. Suddenly his brow twitched, "That girl… She stole my apron."
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
When she finally stopped driving, she was in front of the place that started it all. Kagome parked her car and hurriedly locked it before rushing inside the store.
Chibi Pets.
Everything was the same… the scents, the animals, the toys… yet being back there—it felt like years had past as opposed to weeks.
Kagome glanced around.
It was empty despite the time.
Kagome slowly walked down the center aisle to a soundtrack of barking dogs and chirping parakeets. After a moment she paused. Her hand moved to her face. She covered her eyes and slowly sunk to her knees.
Her hand tightened over her eyes as a few stray tears slipped in boiling rivers down her heated cheeks. A cry escaped her throat.
He had kissed her and she had felt nothing…
Absolutely nothing.
A familiar aged hand reached down and stroked through Kagome's hair, "Let it all out child, let it all out."
And so she did.
-
-
(Tsuki)
A.N. Shocking development in the 'relationship' of Kouga and Kagome. What the hell just happened? But all is well in the land of San/Mir. For now. But in ten chapters A LOT can happen.
Happy Holidays!