Shippo watched as Kagome made and packed a picnic lunch like she had used to when he was young, and smiled when she explained why she was doing it again. He suggested a couple of foods as well.
"I think it must be a fox thing. I had a fanclub when I went to a school nearby as well. I solved it by projecting some of my aura so that people were uncomfortable around me. I guess since Kurama's not the same as he used to be, that's something he can't do any more," Shippo said, sneaking a rice ball.
Kagome laughed and dabbed a bit of cake mixture onto her son's nose. The cake was in the oven and nearly done, but there was a little bit of the mix still in the bowl. "Well, weren't you the sneaky one? Now, any suggestions on what this miko should wear for her fake-date with a that handsome fox?"
"What's this about a date?" Souta asked, entering the kitchen.
"My friend Shuichi asked for my help in deterring his many fans by pretending to be his girlfriend, so I'm picking him up from his school today and we're going to have a picnic," Kagome answered.
Souta's eyes got wide and he ran from the room. "Ma! Kagome's going on a date with Shuichi!" he yelled.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh boy," she sighed as her mother was towed in by her little brother.
"Tell her she has to marry him, not just help him out with his school problem!" Souta was begging as Mrs Higurashi smiled up at her daughter.
"Souta, leave Kagome be, if something comes from this, then good, but if not then we have to be satisfied with that. Kagome, have you decided what you're going to wear so that the girls at the school think twice and leave him alone?" Mrs Higurashi asked her daughter.
The oven bell went off at that moment, and Kagome went to get out the cake.
"No Ma, I haven't yet. I was just asking Shippo if he had any ideas," Kagome admitted, turning the cake out to cool.
"A red dress, to match Shuichi's hair," Souta suggested.
Shippo pulled a face. "Definitely not," he countered. "If Kagome wears a red dress to try and match his hair, and gets the red wrong, then it's going to look bad. Besides, red isn't Kagome's colour any way. She looks much better in blue or green."
Kagome smiled at Shippo gratefully. Due to the number of times she'd had to wear InuYasha's kimono, or red and white miko robes, she had many painful memories attached to that colour – however fondly she held some of them. Thankfully, Kurama's hair wasn't quite that same red. Besides, red dresses had certain ideas that went with them, and Kagome didn't want to give the wrong impression to Kurama or his fans.
"How about this," Kagome suggested as she mixed some icing. "Everybody gets to pick an outfit for me to wear when I go and see Shuichi at his school, then I'll pick one of those, rather than having to go through my whole closet. Ma, you're supervising," Kagome added with a smile.
"Of course dear. Come on you two," she said, taking Souta up the stairs and followed by Shippo.
Kagome sighed fondly and continued to mix the icing. It was possible that one of Kurama's friends would drop in on their little picnic, so she wasn't going to skimp. What they didn't eat they would be able to feed to ducks, or something.
~oOo~
"Hey, who's that?"
"I don't know, but she sure is a cutie."
"Wonder what she's got in the basket?"
"Is she waiting for someone?"
"I wish she were waiting for me."
Kagome smiled to herself as she stood at the gate of Kurama's high school. The boy's uniform was a rather unfortunate shade of purple-ish pink, but the boy's uniform at her old school had been dark-blue grey and quite hideous as well. No comment.
"Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but notice your exceeding beauty, and I was wondering if you might do me the honour of a date," a boy asked.
Kagome looked over at the speaker. He was handsome enough, with his well groomed black hair and bright smile, but she just smiled and shook her head.
"Sorry, I don't think my boyfriend would like that much," she answered.
He deflated visibly. "You're here to meet him?"
"Of course," she answered brightly. "I'm obviously not a student here," she added with a gesture to her dress. The school girls around her were wearing matching pleated skirts and double-breasted jackets in orange-tinted red with a gold stripe around their sailor-style collars and three pairs of gold buttons down their fronts. Kagome was wearing a mint green sun dress with a print of small white flowers around the edges. Shippo was very right to object to Kagome wearing a red dress to pick up Kurama, and not just because it wasn't her colour.
"I was hoping you were picking up a younger brother," the boy said sadly, looking longingly at her form.
Kagome shook her head.
"Definitely not related," another voice said.
Kagome and the boy turned, and she beamed hugely at him while the boy dropped his jaw in surprise.
"Hello Kagome," Shuichi said, smiling at her.
"Hey Shuichi," she answered, still beaming.
"You weren't waiting long I hope? I forgot that I had clean up in class today," the red head slipped an arm around her waist as he spoke.
"No, not long. You must be very efficient at cleaning," Kagome answered with a smile, leaning into his gentle embrace. "I made a picnic for us," she said.
Kurama smiled and nuzzled into her neck and kissed her cheek. "Do you have a place in mind to enjoy it?"
Kagome giggled, playing it up but also genuinely ticklish. "Surprise me. I planned the menu, you need to make some kind of contribution to our date as well," she teased, still laughing.
"You're Minamino's girlfriend?" the boy asked, finally coming out of his slack-jawed shock at the way they were acting.
Kagome smiled dreamily up at Kurama, and the red head swallowed subtly in the face of her familiar features looking at him in a way that, as far as he could remember, they had never done before.
Seeing he wasn't going to get a verbal answer, but accepting what he saw as what it looked like, tried again. "Where- where did you meet?"
"Shuichi came to pray at our shrine for his mother's health. Mama insisted he stay for dinner if his own mother was unwell," Kagome answered. "I was so surprised to see him playing video games with my little brother when I came back in from sweeping the grounds," she added with a giggle.
"I was even more surprised to find that the shrine actually had a resident angel," Kurama said, squeezing her gently a moment. "I believe I know just the place for us to enjoy your picnic Kagome."
"Then gallant sir, escort me thither," she answered, allowing him to take her basket from her while she accepted his lighter school bag.
They had barely gone two blocks from the school when they were stopped by the cry of females from behind.
"Get away from him you witch!"
"How dare you touch him?"
"How dare you put a spell over him!"
"I bet you haven't even got anything in that basket!"
The two looked behind them in faked surprise. They had felt the presence of the crowd of females from the moment they left the school gates together. Looking back at each other, Kurama and then Kagome started laughing.
"Oh, oh that's too funny," Kagome gasped between laughter.
Kurama gathered himself admirably and turned to the crowd behind them. "Everybody, I asked Kagome to go out with me some time ago, and she has only just recently agreed, after having a history of problem men in her life and not wanting another. Now, if you will excuse us, I am very interested to find out what Kagome has cooked."
With that, Kurama put his arm around Kagome's waist again and led her away to the park near where he had first met Hiei, and not far from the playground where Gouki had been stealing children's souls.
"This is pleasant," Kagome said, looking around. "We have it almost all to ourselves. Is that shadow in the tree your friend Hiei?"
Kurama chuckled and nodded.
"I'll remember the aura then," Kagome promised, taking the picnic basket back from Kurama and laying out the blanket. "He's welcome to join us if you don't mind. I made enough for if your friends dropped by."
"You don't mind that he's on probation?" Kurama asked quietly in her ear.
Kagome shrugged. "As long as he doesn't try and pilfer my necklace or threaten my family, I have no argument with him," she answered.
"It's very pretty whole," Kurama observed, looking a moment at the complete Shikon no Tama that Kagome, as its guardian, had come to wear around her neck at all times.
"You're not allowed to touch it either," she cautioned, kneeling on the picnic rug and taking out the food she had made.
"Rice balls, omelette, chicken... a whole cake Kagome?" Kurama asked, amazed by the foods laid out before him. "Did Shippo make suggestions?" he asked, wondering how she had known about some of the other foods she was taking out of the basket.
"Yes, a whole cake, and yes, he did. Are you going to call your friend down?"
Kurama chuckled. "Hiei, won't you come and meet Kagome?"
The black clothed figure appeared before them suddenly, but neither flinched in surprise.
"Would you like some cake Hiei?" Kagome asked, offering him a slice.
"Does she know?" Hiei asked, red eyes narrowed suspiciously at Kurama.
"Yes," he answered calmly.
"Are you really involved?"
"I'm just helping him get rid of his fanclub," Kagome said, taking a bottle of lemonade and a few plastic cups from the basket.
"Kagome, were you expecting company?" Kurama accused teasingly.
"I suspected someone would follow us, so I made enough to share."
"Human, where did you get that jewel you wear?" Hiei demanded.
"My name is Kagome," she snapped. "If you aren't going to call me that, I've also answered to miko," Kagome added with a hiss. "And the jewel was ripped from my body by a centipede demon."
Hiei's eyes widened. He had heard of miko, and he had heard they no longer existed. He turned to Kurama in confusion.
"It's quite true Hiei. Kagome is a miko, and one who has my undying respect," the fox said, a slight warning in his voice that Hiei would do well to respect the girl as well. "How have you been lately?"
"I dislike being confined, particularly to a human city," Hiei growled. "It is impossible to get a decent night's sleep, and since the Shadow Sword was reclaimed by the detective and Spirit World, I haven't even a weapon to use to take out my frustrations on the surrounding forest area."
"You know that you are always welcome to stay at my house," Kurama offered. "A real bed would be more comfortable than a tree branch, I'm sure."
"Except that you would worry about your human mother finding me," Hiei growled before taking a bite of the cake he had been given. His red eyes grew wide and his body froze up. His gaze moved to the cake he held and he chewed slowly. "It's sweet," he said when he had finally swallowed, awe in his voice. He smiled and took another bite.
Kagome stifled a chuckle and handed Kurama a plate of food, which he accepted happily.
"You cooked all of this yourself Kagome?" Kurama asked, awe in his voice as well.
"I like cooking," Kagome answered with a blush. "It's alright, isn't it?"
"It is perfect," Kurama assured. "You were rather limited with what you had available to you last time we ate together, weren't you?"
Kagome shrugged. "I did the best with what I had," she answered. "Fish on an open fire can only be taken so far really."
~oOo~
When Botan flew down on her oar – parole officer to Kurama and Hiei – she was surprised to see them enjoying a lavish picnic with a human girl. She had thought that Hiei hated humans, and that Kurama disliked females because of the way they acted around him. The fangirl situation had been mentioned in his trial. Botan was even more surprised when the girl looked up and fixed her gaze on her face as easy as if she were wearing a flashing light. She was supposed to be invisible to all but the demonic and the dead, so how this girl could see her she didn't know, as she was clearly human and living.
"Would you like to join us?" the girl asked politely.
Hiei and Kurama both snapped around to see her, and Botan flinched under the intensity of their combined gazes.
"Uh, sure, if I'm not interrupting anything," Botan quavered.
"Just a friendly picnic," the girl said with a smile, loading up a plate and holding it out.
Botan landed and assimilated a physical form so that it wouldn't look strange – food disappearing without anybody to eat it.
"Er, I'm Botan, pilot of the River Stix, and parole officer for these two..." she said her pink eyes wide and displaying her shock.
"I'm Kagome Higurashi, miko, and guardian of the Shikon no Tama."
Hiei and Botan both spluttered. "The Shikon no Tama!"
"No, you may not touch," she said firmly, her brown eyes hardening as she covered the gem hanging from her neck. She'd told Hiei that it had been ripped from her side, but she hadn't said what it was.
"What is a human doing with such a powerful object?" Hiei demanded coldly.
Kagome sighed. He had just been beginning to defrost slightly. Kurama answered for her.
"She's keeping it pure and making sure no demon loses his mind in the possession of it. Hiei, I have seen the effect even a fragment of this jewel can have on a demon. It is not a thing to desire," Kurama said earnestly.
Hiei snorted his contempt, but left the issue alone. If Kurama, the Makai's King of Thieves, said that the Shikon Jewel was a thing to be left alone, then he wouldn't touch it.
"So Botan, may I enquire as to the reason for your visit?" the fox asked the reaper girl taking up his cup of lemonade and sipping.
"Uh, just a routine check-up on your behaviour since the incident. I'll be checking on you once a week for the first month, once a fortnight after that until Yusuke gets back, then just once a month," the blue haired girl answered. "Have you been behaving?"
"Well, I caused a bit of a stir at Moriashi High earlier, but nothing demonic I assure you," Kurama answered. "I told my fanclub that I have a girlfriend."
"Which is why we're having a picnic now," Kagome added with a smile. "Lemonade Miss Botan?"
"Thank you. You're his -?"
"Cover," Kagome supplied with a small smile, handing over a plastic cup.
"Ah," Botan said with understanding. "What about you Hiei?"
"There's no where quiet enough to sleep, and I want some kind of weapon," the dark apparition answered with a growl, even as he took another slice of cake.
Botan backed away slightly. "Well I'm sorry you're not sleeping well, but Koenma can't authorise giving you a Spirit World weapon after your theft, and I don't think you really want anything normal like the kind that could be bought from a human weapons dealer. Not like you have the money to buy one anyway, and if you stole then your sentence would just be added to," she said, slowly going from apologetic to fierce.
Kagome whispered a question to Kurama, unnoticed by the other two, getting a shrug in answer, as well as a smile.
"You could stay at my family's shrine if you wanted Hiei," Kagaome offered.
Botan and Hiei turned from their glaring match to blink at her in surprise. Hiei recovered first, while Botan was still confused.
"Why would I want to stay in a holy place with humans?" the demon demanded haughtily. "I'd have to pretend to be human while there, and that is not something I like to do."
Kagome shook her head. "You wouldn't have to pretend to be any more human than you are right now. Gramps will only try and banish you once, but he's done that to my school friends and my little brother's as well. It's generally fairly quiet, and we've got plenty of room."
Botan came out of her blinking stupor. "You really won't mind having a demon on your property? I thought it was the mission of all miko to cleanse the human world of demons."
Kagome raised an eyebrow and the blue-haired woman. "I'm sitting here, serving lemonade and cake to two demons and the grim reaper. Do you seriously think I'm a traditional miko? Really, I don't mind."
"I think you should at least see the place Hiei," Kurama said quietly.
"Hn, alright Fox. I'm finishing the cake first though."
Kagome laughed and cut him another slice.
~oOo~