Author's Note: I'm sorry! I am absentminded without a poor short term memory! I forgot to update this story. I just forget everything. Luckily, someone emailed me a message to remind me. : ( Here is the next chapter, after edit.

No Such Thing As Free Lunch

Chapter 5:

Leaning casually against the doorframe of the living room, he reminded his chosen victim of their deal. "Congratulations," he remarked flatly, refusing to let the amusement show. "However, you still have a promise to fulfill with me."

She wheeled about, eyes wide in shock. "What?"

Well, now. He brought her to his home, allowing her to enter into a relationship with his little brother. For all intents and purposes, he had fulfilled his half of the bargain. More or less. Although the girl brazenly asserted that she and Inuyasha were dating, Sesshoumaru was still the one who initiated this opportunity.

He raised one brow, thoughtfully. "An honorable warrior does not have a double tongue," he quipped. Perhaps a well-known idiom would help remind her of their deal.

"Oooh! Don't you dare quote proverbs at me, you… you… Lunch Nazi!" she squealed, furiously. By this time, both boys in front of the television sat up straight, peering over the edge of the sofa for a better view. Never one to be outdone, Kagome replied with a proverb of her own. "Eggs and vows are both easily broken!"

"The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour."

"Um…" she furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, trying to think of another familiar saying, by which she could 'win' their impromptu argument. "Like… like… a frog knows the inside of a well!"

"That one," said Sesshoumaru, "It wasn't even remotely on topic."

"Agh!"

From his seat on the sofa, Inuyasha melted against the cushions and covered his face with one of the pillows, obviously wondering whether his older brother had just gone insane, or whether that dubious honor should go to both siblings. Why else would he have agreed to date this crazy girl?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Time passed. Despite her protests, Kagome continued to make o-bento boxes for him, and Sesshoumaru continued to quietly pass them along to Rin. However, it was the only portion of his existence that had become easier in the last week. The rest of his life quickly spiraled downhill.

Yura – also known as the Stepmother of Doom, the Wicked Witch, and the Compulsive Liar Who Simply Would Not Quit – started to cause problems. Usually, Sesshoumaru did not attach too many mental nicknames to people, but this woman deserved to be disparaged. He definitely did not approve of her.

It was the opening act of their private war. Why? The woman had lied about him!

Well, no. Perhaps she did not lie. But Yura had implied that he had a treacherous nature.

Money had mysteriously disappeared from his father's wallet. While the older man searched for it, she had mentioned offhandedly that Sesshoumaru certainly carried enough cash – perhaps Touga could borrow some? Given the circumstances, it was an unacceptable comment, and his respect for the deceitful witch had plummeted. (Not that Sesshoumaru's estimation of her was very high, earlier.)

The dirty, underhanded remark did its job, too. Father didn't really believe what Yura had implied, but he had still asked whether Sesshoumaru knew where his cash had gone.

Furiously, Sesshoumaru began to ponder ways to destroy his latest stepmother. Discrediting her would be the first step – after all, if money had disappeared from his Father's wallet, and Sesshoumaru did not take it, then who did? Clearly, she was the one at fault here. He was not a dishonorable person, and even Inuyasha was not the type of son who would steal money! Yura, with all of her accusations and deceitful suggestions, was the worst stepmother yet.

This morning, he had awoken early, in order to confront her. Yet his evil stepmother (version #3) had slept late. It was the weekend, again, and Saturday entailed a large breakfast for anyone that cared to consume one. (Usually just the children.) After cleaning the pan, silverware, and plates in the kitchen, Sesshoumaru dragged his books to the kitchen table, where he could keep an eye on the front door. Yura would not slip by him.

Still, by noon, the woman had not woken up. It was as if she was trying to annoy him, even in the smallest ways. Grinding his teeth together, the third-year student finished his assignments for the weekend, just as his Father walked into the room.

"Ah?" murmured Touga sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "You are working in here, today! Normally, you hide in your room and I never see you."

Sesshoumaru blinked, wondering what his father meant by that. It sounded almost critical, yet the man delivered the statement with such a light, mirthful tone that he obviously intended no harm. With a curt nod, the eldest son began to pack up his books.

Perhaps the reason why he felt so frustrated this morning was the clock. Since when did adults wander into the kitchen for breakfast after noon? It led to the obvious question – what was his Father doing to stay up so late? – but Sesshoumaru did not want to consider this. Anything involving Yura was an unpleasant thought.

"No, don't rush off!" ordered Touga, pushing him back into the chair. Then, the old man sent him an odd look. "You aren't leaving because of me, are you?"

Silently, he shook his head. No, he was not angry with his Father about this turn of events. In the end, all the blame went to his stepmother.

"All right," Touga murmured, unconvinced. "I do enjoy seeing you…"

How strange, he thought. It was like they were on different subjects. Mentally, Sesshoumaru hovered over the topic of Yura, money, and deception, while Father was totally unable to comprehend how awfully the woman behaved.

"Where is Inuyasha?" inquired his father, with an easy smile. "I have good news for both of you!"

Tone clipped and reserved, Sesshoumaru replied. "He left."

"Oh…" Running one hand through gradually greying hair, Touga frowned. "Well, I remembered how anxious you seemed, earlier in the week, when I needed to borrow some... cash... from you. And I know I have not given you any 'allowance' money in a while. To be honest, since Yura is not working, it is difficult to manage the finances, lately..."

A sinking feeling of dread started to worm its way into Sesshoumaru's chest. Something told him that this 'good' news would be anything but good. Unfortunately, blocking out the words would not invalidate them. He would have to listen to whatever came next.

"So! Yesterday, Yura and I realized how to solve two problems at once!" Touga continued happily. "You and Inuyasha both deserve some spending money, and responsibility is also important. I've decided to cut off your allowance, completely. Both of you should get part-time jobs, instead."

Sesshoumaru nearly smacked his forehead against the wood, as he dropped his head toward the table. Oh, of course. A part-time job always made life easier!

"Oh, don't act that way!" crowed Father merrily. "It isn't so bad. I worked in a butcher's shop at your age."

And how am I supposed to find time for this? Sesshoumaru mused without a sound. He was already in charge of the kendo-club, on the student council, attending cram-school almost every night of the week... Having a job would eat up his weekends, too. There would be no time left for… for… anything! (Not that he ever did anything with his free time, except read or exercise.)

"You are overreacting," Touga continued, as though he could hear the thoughts inside his son's head. "Perhaps I've been too generous over the years, and you kids are used to getting whatever you want without effort. Responsibility and a tight-schedule, those are good! They build character."

At moments like this, he forgot the joy of having a parent, feeling rather murderous instead. Since the old man had entered the kitchen, Sesshoumaru had spoken a total of two – only two – words. In what way did he ask for this kind of torture?

But, no. He could not remain angry with Father. This was Yura's fault, as well. The wicked witch had seeded this idea into his brain, by telling Touga that it was not normal for a teen to carry such a large amount of cash. By telling Touga that responsibility brought character. Father had mentioned that both Yura and he were responsible for coming to this solution. And that meant Yura had started it!

Lifting his head off the table, he shouldered his bag. "I will inform Inuyasha, when he returns from visiting his friends."

"No, I can…"

"It's fine," Sesshoumaru announced flatly, a hint of steel in his tone. "I will handle it." His father deflated slightly under his gaze, seeming to realize that his eldest son was an uncontrollable force, sometimes. Finally, Touga nodded, then watched him leave the room with a worried gaze.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He arrived at school by half-past six o'clock in the morning, the next Monday. Fury simmered inside of him, making it easy to wake up that morning. Late on Sunday night, he had finally been able to confront Yura, but the woman had laughed off his concerns. At first, she had claimed to play no part in Father's decision. But then, immediately afterward, she had asserted how important it was to inspire a work-ethic in young boys – and how nice it would be to have them out of the house on the weekends!

What kind of a comment was that? It would be nice to have the house to herself, on the weekends? While both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were forced to obtain a part-time job?

Maybe she needed the work-ethic, rather than innocent young teenagers. Sneering at his locker and roughly shoving his textbooks into the tiny space, Sesshoumaru tried to remain calm.

Seriously, if he ever caught that woman going through HIS wallet again – he would take the evidence straight to his old man and suggest that the true culprit had always been her. He would have done this already, except... it might make him look guilty of framing her. Two people pointing fingers at each other, in the midst of an argument, that never solved a problem. So, he had allowed the first offense to slide. But now, Yura had moved on to a second maneuver in her personal war against him. Part-time jobs!

Finally, he slumped to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. He should not sit there, doing nothing. He knew it. Schoolwork never took care of itself. But Sesshoumaru could not bring himself to move.

After fifteen or twenty minutes, footsteps tapped lightly toward the lockers. Slowly, the third-year student stood. As he brushed off his pants, he guessed that it was Kagome, because they had arranged to deliver Rin's lunches around here. Sesshoumaru happily accepted them, then transported each o-bento to the student lounge. Being a class-representative had some perks, like the use of a refrigerator in the lounge.

To his surprise though, Kagome was not the one to arrive. It was still early in the day, after all. Instead, the one who walked around the corner was Kikyou.

"Oh!" gasped his classmate, startled by his sudden appearance. "I didn't see you there!"

Gently clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru moved out of her way. "My apologies," he said, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not a problem," she murmured politely.

Then, as if the conversation had completely and utterly died, his classmate reached for her locker without another word. The look in her eyes was strange this morning. As the panic quickly faded from her gaze, Kikyou seemed even more distant and cold than usual.

As usual, Sesshoumaru found himself unexpectedly fascinated by her. It really wasn't fair. The back of someone's head shouldn't be considered interesting. And yet he could not look away. His heartbeat accelerated and it was not because he had been startled by her presence. After all, he had been expecting someone – just not Kikyou.

Desperately trying to think of something to say, he inquired, "Are you always here so early?" It was a dull, insipid comment, but it was the best he could do on short notice.

"Yes, usually," she agreed congenially. However, the raven haired beauty did not turn to face him. "Although today, I think I am too early…"

One hand traitorously displayed his unease, ruffling through his hair, as Sesshoumaru realized what this might mean. If she had nothing else to do, then he might sit with Kikyou for the next hour, before class. This would be a priceless opportunity to get to know more about her, without seeming intrusive.

"That is only because you are such a hard worker," he stated firmly. Compliments helped warm people up, he reasoned, opening them to the idea of speaking further. Besides, he wasn't lying. He did admire his classmate. "It made me happy to know what great people there are at this school."

But the praise seemed to roll right off her shoulders. Kikyou seemed stressed and sad, today. She hardly paid attention. "Hmm? Oh. No, there are lots of good students."

As she closed her locker, Kikyou shouldered her bag, carefully extricating long hair from the strap over her shoulder. Sesshoumaru stepped forward to assist her and then backward again in embarrassed hesitation. Touching her without permission might seem rude.

Before he could do much else, a boisterous yell echoed through the hall. "Ah! Lunch Nazi!" shouted Kagome, from a few yards behind his head. "You beat me to school, again!"

The first-year girl had recently entered the building, and when he glanced in her direction, she waved – as if anyone could have overlooked her, after the racket that she made a moment ago. By the time Sesshoumaru focused on Kikyou once more, the dark-haired senior was heading toward their classroom alone. Walking away, without saying goodbye… Completely forgetting about him…

Hastily, he grabbed his pack and reached out a hand to stop her from leaving. "Wait, Kikyou!" he protested, "If you want, I can walk with you…"

"Hey, hey! Don't ignore me," persisted the perky first-year girl behind him. "I brought your o-bento!"

His heart seized up in his chest, the moment he realized how this made him sound. Girls typically only prepared lunch for a guy, if they liked him, or they were dating. A wry smile graced Kikyou's cheeks, and Sesshoumaru knew that he had been misunderstood.

Quietly, Kikyou shook her head and declined his offer. Somehow, yet another aspect of his life had just snowballed out of control. Sesshoumaru shivered, feeling cold and dejected. He could run after Kikyou and convince her that he was not dating Kagome... but to what purpose? It wouldn't change anything. Kikyou was involved with another man, the one he saw outside the schoolyard a while ago. And he didn't want to insult Kagome by leaving without a word.

With a sigh, he turned to face the younger girl. She smiled brightly. "You have butterfly-shaped onigiri today," chirped Kagome, oblivious to Sesshoumaru's distress.