A/N: Apologies for the lateness of posting this, but university combined with my Muse Killing Bunny of Caerbannog bid me put this on hold. Plus university sort of beat up my muse and locked her away in a cupboard. Tch. University.

And fainlly, a quick thank you to everyone who has favourited me as an author or any of my stories. Thank you very much!

Butterfly Fabric

It was official, Izayoi was both annoying and hopeless at giving directions. Their 'short errand' had consumed the better part of two hours and even 'Tsu was getting grumpy, and when 'Tsu got grumpy he became a little stranger than normal.

"Three shops Sesshoumaru, three shops." He hissed balefully as he glared angrily back at the last shop that they'd visited, "How can she be so forgetful? Is she becoming senile in her old age? Is it that Inuyasha's idiocy and arrogance is so potent that it retroactively activates a dormant gene in a previous generation?!"

"Or that she doesn't know because Granny picked them up the first time around?" Sesshoumaru asked calmly taking it all in his stride. "This Sesshoumaru is amazed you don't lose patience when conducting an experiment."

"I know what I'm doing then!" He exploded, whirling on his friend gesticulating wildly, "This is just tramping around streets embarrassing ourselves in shops all located as far from one another as possible. There's only one shop left, and I know they don't have what she needs! It's Sod's Law."

Sesshoumaru just rolled his eyes and kept walking, "At least you'll be paid for your troubles."

'Tsu seemed to collapse in on himself, "Sorry. I like Izayoi, she practically a friend, and I don't want to disappoint her."

"It is unlike you to be so pessimistic." He remarked dryly. Jakotsu just smiled and tried to decipher Izayoi's last instructions to get to the shop. "Hey, Sesshy, where's 'That Little Shop That Sells Darling Children's Clothes, Oh I Wish I Had A Daughter'? Because we're meant to turn left there.

"She needs to learn shop names." He added with an awed expression. Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly, thinking, and then turned back down the street before taking the third left turn. Jakotsu scurried after him wondering silently how he knew where to go. After about ten minutes Sesshoumaru pointed out the shop and said, "Where next?"

"She said to go straight on, and that we couldn't miss it." They walked on, all was quiet between them as they searched carefully for the elusive shop. It was certainly a diverse and fairly exclusive street as there weren't more than a dozen people in it at that moment even though the shops ranged from bakers to bookshops to boutiques.

When they found it, it was tucked carefully in between a charity shop and a bakery. Kagerou Clothing and Fabric Boutique was its name and it boasted a small swarm of cloth butterflies in the corners of its window display as well as its merchandise.

"That looks really good. Pretty and artistic."

"Hopefully they'll have what she needs."

All trepidation over venturing into such a specialised shop was long gone by now after several hours of condescending salespeople talking at them and over them, they were expecting more or less the same kind of treatment in any of the fabric shops.

The shop was empty at the moment, even of employers, but there was a dizzying array of cloth and clothing everywhere, arranged neatly, but each display was arranged to show off the best characteristics of its centrepieces.

"So it's two yards of medium weight linen in wisteria; the same again, but in bright red; one yard of cotton itak in pale blue and six yards of white cotton flannel. Is that everything Mrs. Taishou wanted?"

"Yes, whoever wandered off with her fabrics left the satin behind." Sesshoumaru answered, thinking it was a good thing as it wasn't as practical as the other fabrics were. Looking around for the shop assistant he saw a small stack of books near the till and assumed that the assistant was out back in a storeroom, so he began browsing for the materials along with Jakotsu.

"Oooh, Sesshy, look at this! It's tencel. It's a really new fabric, completely natural and it feels like silk. Feel."

"What is it made of?" He asked, running his fingers along the smooth fabric.

"Wood pulp cellulose believe it or not. I read about it somewhere online when I was browsing an online shop for Mrs. Taishou's birthday present; I found something else though. Do you think she'd like it for Christmas?"

Sesshoumaru muttered, "Most assuredly," but his eye had been caught by some discounted fabric. It was silk dupion, white silk dupion. He gently picked up a fold and watched it shimmer slightly, it was almost pearly.

Wondering why it was so cheap he turned to show Jakotsu the silk. "'Tsu, look at this."

"That, my friend, is amazing."

"Yes, it would really suit you sir. How much are you thinking of buying? It's a real bargain at only seven dollars a yard." The disembodied voice came from just beyond the door on the other side of the room. "It's a shame about the dye mishap, but it can be hidden very easily."

"What's wrong with it?" Jakostu asked as he turned to face the door.

"Almost all of our fabrics are handmade and an idiotic apprentice decided to experiment with a pattern in the silk, fortunately it only held in one or two places and so we got it very cheap."

Sesshoumaru, who had been leafing through the fabric found the odd pattern. There were several red blotches of vaguely flower – shaped markings dotted unevenly throughout the bolt. 'It doesn't look all that bad.'

Annoyed with the 'invisible' assistant he opened his mouth to make an acerbic remark only to be surprised when a small mountain of butterfly – patterned silk and cotton with legs walked into the room. "My apologies sirs, but we're short handed today, and I needed to prepare and lay out our latest order of fabrics. My name is Kagura Tsukimari, how can I help you today?"

Jakotsu stepped in and began to explain what they needed, holding up the fabrics they'd picked out. As Jakotsu and Miss Tsukimari settled into a debate over specific fabric properties Sesshoumaru continued walking around the shop inspecting their merchandise.

For such a small shop it was stocked with a wide amount of cloth and clothing ranging from wool to raw silk and from normal t – shirts to saris and yukata. Drifting to the books he read the title of the topmost and felt his mouth quirk into an almost – invisible smile. It seemed that Miss Tsukimari had affection for Eastern novels. 'Journey to the West, a bilingual addition with commentary and notes, The Tale of the Heikie and The Pillow Book with the same. Is she a student at Sen too?' Without even noticing, he'd sat down next to the butterfly emblazoned fabric and begun to read Journey to the West. A hefty edition, true, but very good.

***

" – so that's why I think she needs cotton and linen. She has excellent taste in colours doesn't she?"

"Yes!" Kagura grinned, "It's like she's an actual designer rather than a hobbyist."

"She has made a lot of her own clothes from scratch like this, so I can see why you'd think that. How much?"

"Umm, all told, sixty – two dollars, eighty – nine cents."

"Huh, that's not bad; Sesshy, money." When the money wasn't put into either his hand or Kagura's he looked at his friend. "Oh boy. Sesshy?

"Sesshy? I'm sorry about this, he's bibliophilic, it's practically impossible to get him out of a book once he's started reading. Unless you're me of course." He tiptoed over to his oblivious friend and whispered softly in his ear, "It's almost time for Jakotsu to sing unless he gets his money. Three, two, o – " The book was down and the wallet in Sesshoumaru's hand almost as fast as Jakotsu could blink.

Sesshoumaru turned to face Kagura. "How much?"

"Sixty – two dollars and eighty – nine cents, sir." Wordlessly he counted out the exact change into her waiting hand, only commenting after he'd received the receipt, "It is a very good edition. From where did you purchase it?"

"I got it from work." Jakotsu smirked as the eyebrow went up, apparently even a novice to Sesshoumaru Reading knew what that meant. "I have a second job at Flights of Fancy – it's a bookshop two streets over, down Goshinboku Lane, you know it? Well, they'll order in almost any book you can think of and they have a very good reputation for the more academic kind of books with a lot of notes.

"However, you could probably order it from the internet as well. But I prefer buying my books in person and I get a discount so . . . " She tailed off and picked up her book. "Hey, you got pretty far in. How long was I talking with you . . . "

"Jakotsu."

"It has been close to thirty – five minutes Miss Tsukimari."

"Oh, hell. I'm so 'damned sorry. Ah. Sorry. Sorry, I didn't mean to swear. Or to keep you waiting so long." She apologised.

"Eh, Sesshy doesn't mind. You don't do you?" Sesshoumaru shrugged. "See, he's used to waiting around; don't feel bad about it. And I'm just as guilty as you are."

"True. I just don't normally get carried away like this."

"This Sesshoumaru saw no need to pay attention to the discussion; the book was far more preferable." He replied offhandedly, to the annoyance of Kagura.

"Well, I'm sorry if our girly talk bored the smart pretty boy." She sneered, "But surely it couldn't have been such a problem to you if it gave you something interesting to do. If I was bored I would have left, don't think to blame me or your friend for your idiocy and refusal to leave."

"Ah . . . Kagura, I like you, we could become great friends. Don't get yourself killed! You almost as pretty as I am, and beauty shouldn't commit suicide."

She ignored him. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"Fuuuuuuck." Jakotsu whispered to himself. 'Sesshoumaru's really going to kill her now.'

"And to think this Sesshoumaru almost thought you were an intelligent woman. If the discussion was boring or a waste of this Sesshoumaru's time you would know."

"Tch. Then perhaps you should be clearer when you speak."

"Farewell." He turned and left, leaving an icy room behind him. Jakotsu shifted his feet before grabbing a flyer, "Look, here's my number. I'm sorry about Sesshoumaru, but you did bring a part of that on yourself."

"Defending your boyfriend I see."

"Nah, just my best friend." He glanced out the window, try to see how far down the street Sesshy had gotten. "You touched a nerve."

"Embarrassed him by talking about his looks I suppose? Let me guess, a plain woman such as myself shouldn't dare look at a god like him." She rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh, looking back to the storeroom; anxious about getting back to work.

"This is way out of my jurisdiction; I really shouldn't be telling you this, but I was serious when I said I thought we could be great friends, and I don't want the two of you getting into fights all the time.

"You don't talk to Sesshoumaru about his mother."

"Why? She dead?" Her voice dripped was sarcasm, and Jakotsu knew that his answer would shock her.

"Actually she is."

"Shit."

"Yes." His voice was quiet and serious. "Sesshoumaru and I hang out a lot together, if we're all going to be friends try not to do something stupid like that again. And no sympathy. He hates sympathy."

"Tell him I'm sorry."

"No problem. Hope to speak to you soon Kagura." With that he nipped out the door and teetered off down the street, searching for Sesshy's distinctive silver – white hair. "Gods, he can walk almost faster than I can run."

He ran around the corner. "'Tsu."

"Aah!" He squeaked, jumping. "Don't do that." Sesshoumaru simply shrugged and kept walking. "Hey, Kagura apologises, she didn't mean to insult you that badly.

"And I know you probably don't intend to forgive her, but I like her and think we could be good friends, so can you at least try not to let your pride ruin this?"

"Sure."

"Sesshy I love you!" He seized the taller man in a tight hug and refuses to let go for a minute despite Sesshoumaru's best endeavours to escape Jakotsu's grasp.

"Besides, she's both intelligent and gorgeous no matter what she says. Perhaps I'll hook you up."

"Impossible."

Jakotsu snorted, "'Impossible is not a scientific term'."

"Hnnn."

Post - story A/N: For the record, all the information (owever scanty it may be) is completely true. I have sources and I am not afraid to use them!