Disclaimer – STILL NOT MINE
Author's Note - I had this chapter combined with the previous one…but it just was getting WAY too long & my buddy/avid reviewer demanded I post a chapter NOW. Also…I apologize for the delay. Between moving, and starting a new job my life has been hectic. I will try to be more awesome from now on. Oh, plus my muse has taken a physical form (which is yet to be decidedly helpful or not) My new kitten, Berlioz, he rocks.
Chapter Eight – Shopping Spree
ooo
When the morning sun began to pour in her windows, Kagome opened one eye and then the other. She had left the blinds on her windows and doors open and the sun was just starting to peak over the tops of the trees that surrounded the manor and her room was filled with a beautiful glowing light making her smile.
"Well, this is a nice way to wake up in the morning, another thing I can get used to." Kagome woke up easily and there was rarely that period of time where she was drowsy and unable to function easily. Smiling she sat up and pushed the blankets off of her body, stretching before plopping her arms back onto the blanket and looking around. She waited for familiar sounds to hit her ears, Souta practicing soccer in the hall or her mother singing while she made breakfast.
The house was silent.
Sighing, and realizing she was just going to have to get used to the numbing silence for the time being, she looked at the clock, 6am. Early enough that she could go back to sleep but she found that she didn't want to. Glancing at her phone she saw that the screen was blank and sighed, Sango had probably been asleep already and it was too early for most people "Well, better get started on that morning swim routine now. " She mumbled climbing out of bed. Her bare feet touched the cool wood floor and goose bumps rocked across her body.
Heading to her dresser she dug around, while a bikini was appropriate for a simple evening dip it was hardly her first choice for a work-out based swim. So she drew out a white and black slimming one-piece and quickly put it on. Not sure if Inutashio was home or not, she grabbed her knee-length robe from behind the bathroom door and slung a towel over her arm. She didn't really want to go wandering around the house at all hours in a bathing suit and towel.
Poking her head out of the room, she didn't hear anything in the house and smiled. Softly shutting the door behind her she walked quietly down the hall. With their above-average hearing, if either of the men in the house were awake they would easily hear her she figured but better than to go storming through the house at the early hour.
She stopped once she was down on the first floor and slipped into the kitchen, missing dinner the night before made her morning hunger even stronger. She made her way towards the coffee pot and hesitated, where would they keep the coffee? After a few minutes of searching the near-by cupboards she found the coffee and quickly started a pot of the heavily scented drink. A moment later she was popping toast in the toaster and digging in the fridge to see if they had creamer or if she would have to settle with just milk.
Finding a half empty bottle of hazelnut flavored creamer she stood up and almost screamed, Inuyasha was standing there leaning on the closed door of the freezer in the same swimming trunks from the night before, although they were perfectly dry. "Morning," He said smirking and moving to the cupboard across the kitchen. Kagome gulped, knowing he could hear her galloping heart – lord knows she could – and would mock her over it any moment.
He didn't though, simply grabbed a pair of coffee cups from a middle shelf and returned to her side where she stood near the coffee pot and set them down. The clank of ceramic on granite made Kagome shake her head and remember her manners "Good morning," She poured a bit of the sweet liquid into her cup and slid the bottle over to Inuyasha.
Hearing her toast pop up she grabbed a small plate and took to buttering her breakfast "We swimming?" Inuyasha asked as he poured coffee over his creamer.
Kagome nodded around her toast and then poured her coffee, taking the offered spoon from the half-demon who had just used it to mix his drink. Once she washed the crumbs down her throat she smiled "I wasn't sure if you wanted to or not, so I just got up and came down here. Should I start waking you up when I get up?"
Inuyasha picked up his cup and moved over to the table they had occupied just the day before and Kagome followed him with her drink and food, as they sat down across from each other Inuyasha said "I was already awake, I heard you head downstairs and figured you were gonna go swimming."
He sipped on his coffee while Kagome chewed thoughtfully "Well, that's good. So what time did your dad get home last night?"
A third voice answered her "Too late to warrant being up this early that is for sure." Inutashio walked into the room, looking more relaxed than Kagome had ever seen him. His hair was let out of the band that held it up and it fell much longer than Inuyasha's own silver locks and he was wearing a pair of dark blue pajama pants and a simple white t-shirt. "Kagome, you are a saint for starting coffee." He said pouring a black cup of the drink before joining the teens at the table, sitting beside his son.
Kagome smiled at the coffee comment "I wasn't sure if anyone else was going to be up, but I figured it'd be better to make it than not."
Inutashio smiled "Good idea," He looked at Inuyasha and frowned "Inuyasha, when there are ladies present it is not appropriate to dress like that. You know that."
Kagome watched the look that crossed Inuyasha's face and felt guilty – them swimming together was mostly her idea "No, Mr. Takashi – please. Inuyasha and I are getting ready to go swimming," She opened her robe a bit and revealed her own bathing suit "I don't take offense at all, and the pair of us swimming was my idea last night."
Both men stared at Kagome as she retied her robe and took a bite of her toast; she refused to look at them. She wasn't going to let Inuyasha be reprimanded by Inutashio over something like that, especially when it was mostly her fault in the first place and yet on the other side she felt terrible for speaking like that to the man who was doing so much for her already.
Inutashio took a sip of his coffee and smiled "Well, forgive me then for speaking without knowing. I apologize son, I didn't know." Kagome looked up at him and saw the gentle smile on his face and then when she looked at Inuyasha he too was smiling at her, though his smile was much different.
Kagome wished to finish her coffee and toast quickly after that, Inuyasha and Inutashio spoke lightly of the older man's business the previous evening. Inutashio turned to Kagome after a moment and said "My son tells me you are ready to start school?" He sipped his coffee and Kagome nodded her head.
"Yes, I don't think sitting around doing nothing will be of any use, I would rather get back into my life."
Inutashio nodded his head "Well then, on Monday we can go and do that. Do you have everything you'd need?" Kagome looked from the man over to Inuyasha who was still smiling, even though he wasn't looking at Kagome anymore. She didn't want to mention shopping with Sango, because she didn't want to get the teen in trouble for having his friends over. A little white lie wouldn't hurt.
"I need a few things, but Inuyasha offered to take me to get them and introduce me to his friends so I know some more people when I go to school." She sipped her coffee; the lie was simple and came off smoothly.
Inuyasha arched an eyebrow at her but shrugged "Miroku and Sango were practically begging to meet her yesterday, so we compromised." He finished his coffee and went to put the empty cup in the dish washer.
Inutashio chuckled "They are a good group of kids, unique in their own ways." Kagome wondered what exactly was going through the man's mind. Kikyo's blatant slutty-ness? Miroku's wandering hand and mind? Sango's bull-headedness?
She smiled and simply said "I like unique."
She too took her dirty dishes, once empty, over to where Inuyasha stood near the sink and put them in after him. The half-demon smiled at Kagome, knowing any private word of thanks would be overheard and questioned at that current moment.
Inutashio watched them in silence, the way Inuyasha politely moved out of Kagome's way but didn't try to do everything for her. He respected her, and her desire to stand on her own two feet. It was a new side to his son that Kagome had brought out, and he was enjoying it very much so. "Well, I won't keep you two from your morning swim. Have fun." He stood and refilled his cup before leaving and heading for his office. He shut the door behind him as the teens passed him in the hallway and went out the same way they had the night before.
With the back door shut, Inuyasha turned to Kagome who was admiring the soft fog that had settled over the surface of the glassy water "Beautiful," She said, her fingers absently untying her robe and setting it beside her towel "It's the temperature change doing it, but it looks like magic." She giggled and turned to face Inuyasha. The air was cool enough that small goose bumps covered her ivory skin, but she was more used to it now. Inuyasha had a slight half-smile on his face as he watched her.
Despite her more modest bathing suit choice, he was still impressed by the shape of her body. Before his mind got too off-track he said "Thanks, for not telling him about yesterday. He wouldn't understand how persistent they are." Kagome nodded her head as she walked towards the pool, looking like a ghost as she drifted through the fog and into the warm depths of the pool.
Once she was beneath the water she looked back at Inuyasha's blurred form "Of course." Her smile was brilliant, even though the dense fog separated them.
Following her into the water silently, Inuyasha asked once he was by her side "Ready then?" She nodded a look of determination on her face. She knew she could never outswim Inuyasha; he wasn't fully human so the odds were against her but she wouldn't give up either. Wetting her hair she pressed off from the steps and swam hard through the water. She was graceful and quick, for a human, but only because swimming was something she enjoyed. Running and other sports? Not as much.
She wasn't trying to be rude but she found Inuyasha drifting farther and farther to the back of her mind as she sliced through the water. Occasionally she saw her partner as she lifted her head from the water, but he seemed just as focused on his movement as she did.
The sun had traveled a bit farther up the sky when Kagome finally rolled under water and let herself drift on her back, her long black hair floating around her form as she caught her breath. Inuyasha slowed on his last turn and circled around her before popping up next to her, brushing the wet hair from his eyes he smiled "Tired?" Kagome shrugged, her shoulders causing small ripples.
Her eyes were closed as she slowed her heartbeat "Not really, just…content."
Inuyasha tread water beside her and nodded "Did you ever get a hold of Sango?"
Kagome opened her eyes and looked over at the half-demon "Well I text her last night but I didn't have a response from her when I got up. I left my phone in my room so maybe she text me back, I should go check." She swam to the shallow end and stumbled to a walking motion. Hesitating with her hand on the railing she turned "You are coming right?"
Inuyasha laughed "You told my dad I was, I can call Miroku and see if he wants to come keep me company while you girls go shopping. We'll probably go to the mall, so there will be enough to do."
Kagome nodded and then exited the water, shivering as she quickly ran the towel across her skin. Once her robe was back on she smiled at Inuyasha "Coming?" He was near the ladder at the deep end and nodded before he climbed out. While they went in, much in the same fashion as the night before, abandoning their towels in the hamper before they ventured into the hallway "So, you have an older brother?" Kagome ventured as they passed the closed door of Inutashio's office, she could hear him speaking quickly in Japanese on the phone and smiled. Always working.
Inuyasha nodded stiffly "Half-brother," He clarified as they walked slowly up the stairs, their workout obviously wearing them both down a bit "He's 27, living down in LA. Doing good for himself, he didn't want to work for our dad so he jumped into some big-time Infrastructure Creation company and is already their VP." Despite how well he was keeping tabs on the older sibling he spoke of, the tightness in his voice made it obvious how he felt about the man. They shared a father, and Kagome thought, little else.
"I wonder if I will meet him," She said after a moment.
"Probably, he comes around for Christmas usually. Especially with you being here dad will make a point to request it, you'll meet Rin too then." He said as they climbed the last of the stairs onto the 3rd floor. His smile when he said the woman's name caused Kagome's eyebrows to arch in surprise.
"Rin? His girlfriend?" She questioned, stopping in the hall between their doors.
She leaned on the wall and Inuyasha stood in the hallway as he laughed "Girlfriend? I don't think Sesshomaru knows the meaning of the word. He is like a living stone. No, Rin is his assistant, but I think it is fairly obviously that she is madly in love with him."
Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, glad that she was wearing her robe over her bathing suit and not flaunting her body – though she honestly didn't mind that Inuyasha chose to flaunt his, he was a very attractive man. She shook her head and commented, as if her thoughts had not just been on his perfectly toned abs "That is sad, maybe someday he will see it."
Inuyasha snorted "Maybe," There was a lull in the conversation but neither moved simply looked from one another to the surrounding hall.
Eventually it was Kagome who broke through the silence "Well…I am going to go shower and get dressed and see if Sango texted me back. I'll come let you know when I'm done."
Inuyasha nodded his head and smiled "Alright, see ya in a few." He turned and went into his room while Kagome did the same. Locking the door behind her she slipped out of her robe and hung it on the back of her door so it could dry. She peeled her bathing suit from her skin and walked over to her bed, the phone sitting beside it had a small blinking red light and she excitedly opened it to read the message from Sango.
Awesome! No, you didn't wake me but I would love to take you. Miroku is over & was wondering if Inu was coming or not? I told him to just call Inu but who knows! Anyways, I'm down for whenever, we are just kinda hanging out so let me know whenever you want to go. :D
The message had come about an hour before at 8, making it almost 9 now. Kagome chewed her lip and tapped a response back to the other female, absently wondering just how close her and Miroku were if he was already at her house at 8am.
Hey, sorry Inuyasha & I were swimming. He wants to come and was wondering about Miroku too, so I guess the more the merrier? Inuyasha said something about the mall? I still need to shower and get dressed but we can probably just meet you there I'm assuming?
Tossing her phone on her bed she rushed into her bathroom for a nice shower, which of course took a few minutes longer than should have. As she stood in front of the mirror admiring her clear skin, she contemplated what to wear. How should she do her hair? Her make-up? Something simple, but more fun and relaxed than she had been when she met the other teens. She didn't want them to think she was an uptight snob…
Heading to her dresser she pulled out a semi-sexy set of bright green underthings, lightly laced and very cute against her light skin. With at least some kind of clothing on she felt a bit more comfortable and was able to stand before her dresser and closet while pondering her outfit "Well…it has to come off easy so I can try stuff on," she mumbled pulling out shirt and jean combinations, nothing seemed to fit the situation so she sighed and shook her head "Why am I so worried about how I look? It's just gonna be Sango."
A mental image of Inuyasha, pulling himself up the ladder, his taunt body flexed in exertion. Shaking her head, Kagome absently leaned against her dresser "Inuyasha and Miroku have already said they are going to go amuse themselves elsewhere, why should it matter." She sighed and opened the drawer that had a few pairs of pants in it and ended up drawing out a light blue pair that fit her snug enough to accentuate what she had but not so much that she was begging for attention.
Paired with the jeans she drew out a grey close-fitting long-sleeved shirt that tied around her neck, showing off a swatch of her petite shoulders. She drew out some black socks and stepped into a pair of cute slip-ons. After she was dressed and had checked herself over once in the mirror she returned to the bathroom to brush and dry her long hair, a task that took a few extra minutes in its self. Once her wavy locks where buoyant around her shoulders she applied some light make-up, proving she wasn't trying too hard.
Everything finished she returned to her bedroom, and her phone. The flashing light was present again and she hurriedly read the message from Sango, a smile forming on her lips as her eyes traveled from one end of the screen to the next.
No biggie! :D Glad we are making a party out of it, and don't worry I told Kikyo it was going to be just you, Miroku & I – she has no reason to come so it'll be the fun ones haa haa I talked to Inu and he said you guys would just meet us there in like half hour? I hope that works for you – meet you guys in the food court!
Kagome put the phone into her pocket and laughed how funny that they would try to fool the other young woman into not coming, though Kagome couldn't say she wasn't thankful. The idea of going school clothes shopping with Kikyo was not a pleasant one.
Suddenly though, the weight of everything struck her like a literal blow to the face and she sat down hard on the edge of her bed. Usually, it was her mother or father who took her and Souta school shopping. For clothes, supplies and things like that. Suddenly she was having to do a very large amount of things more or less on her own.
Knowing the woman would no longer be there for her, no matter how much she wished otherwise, made unexpected tears well up in her eyes. Clamping a hand over her mouth of smother the sobs that broke from her throat, Kagome wrapped her other arm around one of the poles that held the canopy up and tried to cry as silently as possible.
ooo
Inuyasha was dragging a brush through his hair when the strong smell of salt hit his nose and caused him to sneeze; shaking his head he looked in the direction of the smell and tossed the brush onto his dresser before he moved towards the wall that separated his and Kagome's bedrooms. Standing near the barrier he heard it, clear as day.
Crying.
He could hear the muffled sobs and he felt his heart break for the woman who was obviously fighting so hard to remain quiet. Not like he could blame her, if only she knew the extent of his or his father's hearing. He would have bet his father – 20 feet below them – would be able to hear the heart-wrenching sounds as well. Inuyasha was stuck though, having never been good at dealing with these sorts of things he wasn't sure what to do so he just stood there.
Should he go over there and offer a shoulder to cry on? Words of comfort? He scoffed at the idea, he had no idea how to comfort someone else's pain – hell he hardly knew how to cope with his own. He was about to just go back to his bathroom and use his rarely-used hair dryer to not only dry the damp locks, but to drown out the sound of sorrow when he heard the softest whimper say "Mama…."
That was all it took, he was out in the hall before he knew it and rapping his knuckles on her door. He heard her breath catch and her clear her throat before asking a shaky "Wh-who is it?"
Inuyasha sighed "It's me, can I come in?"
Kagome tried to wipe her eyes and blinked them rapidly to reduce the look of fresh tears before saying "Um, yea." Inuyasha heard the squeak of springs and as he opened the door she had her back to him and was going through her purse – probably just to hide her face from him more than to actually look for something.
"Yea?" She asked, glancing up briefly before diverting her eyes away from him and back to her purse. In that moment he saw the light smudges of mascara and the blood-shot whites of her eyes and he mentally cursed.
Moving towards her he said "Sango called, did she text you?"
Kagome nodded her head and took her phone from her pocket and tossed it in her purse "Mmhmm," She said, moving to her closet – another activity that would keep her back to him.
She pulled out a short black leather jacket and made a great show of putting it on without turning to so much as look at the hanyou, if he didn't know the reason behind her strange actions he might have been offended. Realizing that she was either going to wait until he left or continue avoiding eye contact he stepped in behind her, boxing her in "Kagome," He said softly "It's ok to be sad you know." His father had raised him to pretend he didn't hear the things he heard, out of courtesy but this was one of those times when he figured his father would have been ok with him flaunting his demonic abilities.
"I can't even to begin to imagine what you're going through, but –" He hesitated – this was the part he royally sucked at "But, well…you see what I'm saying is that if you need someone to talk to then I'm right next door." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as she turned to face him.
Instead of graciously accepting his help, or turning it away, Kagome smiled lightly "I'm never going to have any privacy ever am I?"
Inuyasha frowned "Huh?" while he was glad to see her smiling, he was confused by what she meant.
Sighing and shoving her hands in her pockets she leaned on the door frame "With your hearing, everything I say or do or whatever…you being right next door means that you hear all of it. If I'm loud enough I bet your father can hear me too right?"
Rubbing the back of his neck Inuyasha fidgeted "Well, sorta. It isn't like I'm eavesdropping or trying to snoop – I was just born like this."
Kagome smiled "I'm not blaming you or anything Inuyasha," She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her finger-tip, fixing her make-up that the tears had messed up. Sighing she ran a hand through her hair, giving it a tossed look that Inuyasha actually found attractive "I'm sorry, for being such an emotional burden. Crying women, every teenaged guy's nightmare huh?" she chuckled and Inuyasha smiled.
"It's ok, at least you have a valid reason." They stood there for a moment before Inuyasha looked at his phone "Are you ready to go? I'm sure Sango and Miroku will be waiting."
Kagome nodded and asked "Are we taking the limo or…?"
Inuyasha laughed right out "No, no. I don't take that. We're driving my car. I have one that is out-right mine and then one that I use for special things. I am going to count this as one of those things, since it is really only a 2-seater. I guess technically it can seat 4 people, but I don't know how anyone can fit in the back seat…"
Kagome arched an eyebrow at Inuyasha "What are you talking about?" Inuyasha just grinned a predator's smile that made Kagome's heart jump into her throat and he grabbed her hand, tugging her along. Snagging her purse at the last moment Kagome laughed as she followed Inuyasha out of the room, down the hall and stumbled along behind him on the stairs.
She found her fingers coiling around his to steady herself and all of her depressing thoughts of a few moments ago were wiped away. Inuytashio, having heard their loud trip down the stairs had come to stand near the bottom of them and was surprised by the way they were acting.
Inuyasha smiled "Bye dad," and opened the door, pulling the raven haired beauty behind him.
"Have a good day sir!" Kagome called out as she pulled the door shut, having little other option than to follow her half-demon house-mate. Inutashio just shook his head with a chuckle and a knowing smile before he turned and walked back down the hall.
Inuyasha slowed just a bit as he pulled Kagome down the front steps and over to the first door of the garage. When he abruptly came to a halt Kagome collided with him and squeaked, stumbling backwards. Inuyasha tugged her forward in an attempt to keep her on her feet but over-compensated a bit too much and she ended up against his chest. Eyes wide, her hands pressed against his chest and she looked up at him for a moment. The answering wide-eyed gaze that he gave her was almost comical.
"You ok?" He asked, his hands brushing across her wrists and then one settling on her shoulder "I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to fall."
Kagome nodded and said "It's alright, I'm fine. Just…kinda clumsy." Shaking her head she took a deep and shaky breath before stepping out of his arms "Thanks for catching me." Inuyasha nodded and then turned to punch the number in on the garage door.
The door, and the one beside it, slid up and the lights turned on, shining across the glossy surfaces of multiple vehicles. Kagome's jaw fell open as her eyes took in the collection of sleek exotics and aggressive American muscle cars. Sure, she wasn't a car junkie but she could appreciate a fine vehicle just like anyone else could, especially living in Tokyo where racing was a common occurrence and people lived and died for their cars.
In this wonderful collection, a shining red vehicle drew her eye. It was all angles and low to the ground. Brushing her fingers against the small metal plate that depicted a proud black stallion rearing his defiance over a yellow shield, her eyes widened and she withdrew her now-shaking hand. Glancing over her shoulder at the half-demon who was pulling a set of keys from a small metal box against the wall that Kagome hadn't even noticed she asked, astonished "A Ferrari?!"
She moved back a few inches from the flaming-red car, fearing that just being near the thing she would somehow damage it in some irreplaceable way and be indebted to her new guardian the cost of the flashy European car. Watching her skirt around the car like an insulted cat, Inuyasha laughed and pressed a button on his key as he added the smaller key-ring to the larger one he normally carried with him.
A shorter, black vehicle with an obvious convertible top beeped in response and lit up, the lights reflecting off the chrome of a large truck and the tinted windows of a sports sedan. The beep that indicated that the alarm had ben deactivated echoed in the garage and Kagome watched as Inuyasha's ears flattened against his silver locks in response to the sound. Shaking his head he smiled at her "Don't worry; the Ferrari is for special occasions – like the limo. Today, we take my car."
He gestured and the raven haired woman inched around the beautiful vehicle, careful not to bump into it knowing that she might set off the highly sensitive alarm. Sarcastically, but not meanly, she said "If not a Ferrari then what? A Corvette? Mercedes?" She didn't know too many car types so she stopped there. Knowing that if she kept on the next car she spouted off would be something like Eri's Honda – which was far from being a luxury vehicle.
With an arched silver brow, the amber-eyed man chuckled "Well, my dad's business car is a Mercedes, at least when he isn't in the limo. Then, there is an old Mustang which I guess is comparable to a Corvette. That was a gift to my mother from my dad, so we don't use it too much." He shrugged and opened the door for Kagome who stared up at him.
It was the first time she had heard he himself talk about his mother, and he did it so casually. For a moment, the young woman was jealous at how detached he could become from such painful emotions. How easy would this transition be if she didn't have to cry about it? If she could just stop breaking down into a blubbering mess at any random memory? 'He's lucky...' She had time to think before her other half chimed in 'No, he isn't.'
No matter how much she hated the crying, hated constantly missing her parents, that sadness she felt and had to work through was her way of keeping their memories alive. Inuyasha didn't have any memories to focus on remembering, his mother was lost before he had time to recall her face. As she slid into the passenger seat, chewing absently on her thumbnail she thought about this until Inuyasha was behind the wheel and firing up the engine "Kagome?"
Jolting, she realized he had been trying to get her attention and she gave him a lopsided grin "Sorry, mentally I was just in like….Tahiti…" She said naming the tropical island in the South Pacific.
Inuyasha laughed "I had asked if you even knew what kind of car this was?"
Kagome frowned and twisted in her seat to look the entirety of the car's interior over. Drudging up all of her car knowledge over she chewed her lip, hoping that the name of the vehicle was written somewhere that Inuyasha wasn't blocking, he grinned at her as he maneuvered the smooth handling car onto the high-way and in between other cars traveling their way.
"Um, nope I have used up my Car & Driver subscription this month," Inuyasha laughed and flicked the blinker on as he migrated towards an exit. Moving his hands enough so that Kagome could see the insignia on the steering wheel – another shield but of differing color and lacking a proud animal on its front – she blinked, feeling recognition pull on her mind but unable to put the name into words "Eh, I give." She said half-heartedly and slumped in her seat.
"A Porsche, more specifically a 911 Carrera." He said the car's full title the way a noble lord or lady might announce their own to a room full of peasants – the pride was bubbling out of his throat.
Kagome rolled her eyes thinking 'Guys and their cars…' But she smiled at him, it was nice to be proud of thing things you owned. Like Kagome and her violin. Feeling pain tug at her heart she shook her head.
"Music?" She asked suddenly, the droning of the car had a poetic purr but she was suddenly craving some real music, if she was lost in her own mind too much longer she would think of her family and didn't want to cry in front of him again.
Inuyasha nodded his head towards the glove box and said "My iPod is in there, you can plug it in." Kagome nodded and pulled out the small, silver square and tapped it to life.
Reading the title of the song that had been playing last, she arched her eyebrows in surprise "'What If The Storm Ends?' by Snow Patrol?" She plugged it in and restarted the song.
Inuyasha shrugged "I listen to everything," He justified, glad she at least liked the song well enough to play it.
Heavy in piano and low-keyed drum, the song was created to literally sound like a thunder storm. Moving lyrics were minimal but powerful. Kagome leaned back and closed her eyes, tapping her foot to the beat and singing softly under her breath when the words started up.
Inuyasha smiled at her and by the time the 5-minute song was over, they were pulling up to the large mall. It was different than Kagome was used to, where she was from space was limited so almost all of the buildings were built up instead of out – this was not the case in America. The sprawling 2-story building was impressive and suddenly Kagome was beyond excited. She had a crazy amount of money and would be able to buy any and everything she wanted without anyone telling her no.
Instead of wasting time searching for a decent parking spot, since the mall was packed on the busy weekend, Inuyasha parked near the edge of the lot where the nearest car was a few spaces away. Kagome hopped out of the vehicle and smiled, her excitement bubbling.
Inuyasha locked the car and the pair met at the back of the car and started walking across the parking lot. Kagome clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her feet as they moved "I'm probably more excited for this than I should be." She confided in the half-demon as he opened the door for her and she passed him into the mall.
"Why?" Inuyasha said, gently grabbing her elbow and leading her through the large group of people gawking at some new display in the store they had entered into.
Kagome cringed into Inuyasha's side; the thought of being separated from him scared her. "Just, having money for once and being able to do whatever I want in terms of my clothing and stuff."
Having been able to do that for as long as he could remember, Inuyasha shrugged but said "I'm glad you are excited. Not sure what Miroku and I are gonna do while you guys shop though. Oh," He halted at the bottom of the escalator "If you guys are gonna go like, into Victoria's Secret – do not tell Miroku. He will follow you guys all day until you do and that would be – no offense – really boring."
Kagome laughed out loud and nodded "Oh, ok. To be honest I hadn't thought about where I was gonna go, but now that you mention it…" She was of course thinking of just a new bra or some cute underwear.
Being the teenaged guy that he was Inuyasha looked down at her from his step above her on the moving escalator with an arched brow and a suddenly too interested look on his face "What are you gonna need from there hmm?"
Kagome flushed pink and crossed her arms, stepping off the moving stairs with a 'hmph' "Nothing like that you pervert!" She marched away from him towards the food court, hoping Sango and Miroku were out in plain view.
Inuyasha chased her "Hey, come on I was just kidding. Besides – if you wanted to buy that kinda stuff it really isn't any of my business." He rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"What kinda stuff?" Kagome turned and there was Sango, with Miroku besides her working his way through a Slurpee with much gusto.
Kagome giggled nervously "Nothing." She said and smiled "Sorry to keep you guys waiting, not too long I hope?"
Sango shrugged "Not really, we only came early cause we were hungry and there was no food at my place and we figured we could eat while we waited for you guys. Are you hungry?"
Kagome shook her head, despite her morning swim she wasn't hungry yet "Probably will be in a few hours, especially after shopping."
She grinned and Sango laughed "Of course, it really should be an Olympic sport."
Inuyasha cleared his throat "That is our cue, Miroku? Arcade?"
The brunette male nodded his head and grinned at the girls "Have fun ladies, and if you need any male advise-"
"No, don't call us. We're going to be too busy shooting things to tell you if a shade of blue matches your eyes." Inuyasha said automatically "Now let's get out of here before they start. But first, I wanna grab some food. I'm hungry."
Kagome thought she heard Sango mutter "What else is new…"
Miroku pouted "If they happen across Victo-"
"They won't." The half-demon insisted.
Kagome covered her smile with her hand as Inuyasha drug the perverted teen back into the depths of the food court, as if the silver-haired hanyou felt Kagome's eyes on him he glanced back and winked at her, which caused Kagome to look away quickly and clear her throat, forcing the blush away from her face.
Sango seemed none-the-wiser about the interaction between her best friend and his house-guest, or rather she didn't show that she did "So, you said you needed school clothes. What kind of things are you looking for?"
Kagome sighed "Well, I need everything really. My old school had a uniform, see."
Sango held up her hand in interruption "Say no more. So far I have seen you in a skirt and dressy shirt, and now jeans. So I am going to assume you are pretty much into wearing anything?"
Kagome smiled and nodded "Yea," She bit her lip and looked around the large building, fear flashing across her face.
"You ok?" Sango asked.
Kagome glanced at her "Can I be honest?" Sango's arched eyebrow was her answer "Up until the accident, school shopping was a family deal, it is kinda intimidating doing it alone."
Instead of making fun of her for her lack of independence, Sango slung an around her shoulders "You aren't totally alone, come on lets go get you some stuff. What is your budget?" She asked as she released the younger woman and started walking.
With a smile, Kagome followed "I have a decent amount of money, but don't need to be going crazy or anything." Sango nodded and the girls turned into the first store.
ooo
The two young women were lounging in the food courts over an hour and a half later, Sango sipped on a Pepsi while Kagome finished off her Subway sandwich "Ugh, I'm glad I only got a 6 inch, anything more would have been too much." She took a refreshing gulp of water and wiped her fingers on a napkin while Sango stretched and examined their purchases.
Sango had a pair of bags of her own, deciding that she could splurge a little. Kagome had twice as many bags but had been thrifty all the same "What are you gonna wear your first day? I say the grey and white sweater and those new brown boots." She opened the box of the shoes and examined the knee-high dark tan heeled boots that she had convinced Kagome to buy "These are cute and are gonna make your butt look cute." She laughed and Kagome shook her head and tossed her trash in the can near-by before lifting her purchases once more.
"I might, I just don't want to over-heat. I may save the sweater for when it gets a bit cooler. I like the white off the shoulder one with the peacock feather design."
Sango nodded and returned the boxes to their bags and stood as well "Of course you like it, why else would you buy it?" Kagome laughed. She had to admit, today had been pretty great. She was glad that she was able to find such a great friend in Sango. She was friendly and open, but honest enough that you could tell she was genuine.
Having someone you've known for less than 24 hours tell you "Really? I think that kinda makes you look like a star-fish, but if you want it then rock the star-fish look." Pretty much solidified any friendship that was in question.
"We should find the boys soon," Kagome muttered.
Sango sighed "Must we really?" There was a grin on her face that Kagome laughed at, but then it faded "I never get to have girl time like this unless I am with Kikyo and you can imagine how lame that gets."
Kagome tilted her head to the side "You don't have any other girl friends?"
Sango shrugged as they picked their way through the tables littered around the food court, sipping her soda "Kikyo tends to scare them all away," Kagome frowned at her feet, she had assumed that Kikyo's craziness was simply a hardship that Inuyasha faced. She had never thought about how it affected the other members of their small circle.
Sighing she shook her head "Well, Kikyo doesn't scare me."
The answering smile that Sango gave her made Kagome feel as if she had said the right thing. "I'm glad; it is good to know you have a back-bone. Not even just because of Kikyo," She grinned "Inuyasha can be hard to live with, but we love him all the same."
Kagome laughed "I was afraid at first, he seemed so angry with me." She rubbed the back of her neck and fiddled with the straw in her cup "His dad told him to help me, and I was afraid he would resent me for it. He did, at first I think. We just butted heads, but well – I guess we can thank pizza for breaking the ice."
Sango arched an eyebrow at the younger girl "Pizza?" She tossed her now-empty soda into a trash can, looking curious.
Kagome laughed "Before you guys showed up, we were eating pizza."
Sango nodded, recalling how Inuyasha made it sound like the girl had been in her room unpacking all day, had he really just not wanted to share his time with her? The thought interested Sango and she gave off a crooked smile "Well, I'm glad you guys are getting along."
Kagome nodded and looked around at the near-by stores, a pink walled one caught her eye "Hey, before we find the guys do you want to go to Victoria's Secret? I could use a new bra and some more pajamas are never a bad thing."
Leading them into the store Sango said "I like the way you think, that's what you and Inuyasha were talking about earlier huh? He was warning you about Miroku and this damned store?"
Kagome nodded, but since Sango had looked back at the shelf in front of her she said "Yea, he seemed awkward. How do you tell a girl, hey if you are gonna go buy lingerie – make sure you don't tell my best friend because he'll stalk you?"
Sango laughed "Miroku isn't that bad, usually." She made a face and held up a pretty black and sparkling bra. Examining the price tag she sighed "I hate how expensive this place is."
Going to put the bra back Kagome shook her head "I'll buy it for you."
Sango glanced at her "No, you really don't need to do that, its ok."
Kagome arched an eyebrow "Come on, you just spent the last while helping me pick out clothes and everything for school, it is really the least I could do."
She gave her new friend her best puppy-dog look and Sango laughed at it, not sure if that was a good thing or not Kagome shrugged as Sango said "Fine, I'll let you only because I really like it."
Kagome grinned and chose her own bra, a red thing with black lace around the edge. She was heading to look at the collection of pajamas when a soft smell caught her nose and she drifted to their perfume "Love spell?" She picked up with purple and gold container and smelled it, it was like heaven. She grabbed the collection of it, which included the body spray, shampoo, body wash, all in that light floral scent.
Feeling silly at spending so much, but really not caring for once she finally made her way to the pajamas and looked from the cute shorts and yoga pants to silky night gowns and frilly lingerie she tapped her chin and snagged a light blue silk night gown and then, to not feel so risqué, a PINK pajama shirt and grey pair of pants.
Sango watched her with an amused expression, but remained silent as she followed Kagome to the register where the too-hyper sales rep was waiting for them. Kagome politely declined the numerous offers they were trying to rope people into by saying "Just these things please." Her voice was soft, but her eyes firm and the woman stopped her pressing and allowed them to pay and leave in peace.
Thinking ahead, Sango instructed Kagome to put her pink striped bag inside one of her other bags – otherwise Miroku would be too curious for his own good "I don't want to have to punch him in the middle of the mall, security guards frown on that."
Kagome laughed out loud as they rounded the corner into the arcade and collided straight into a thick body "Oh!" She said stepping back and looking up at the man "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She apologized, straightening her shirt.
The man grinned, revealing pointed teeth. Kagome gave him a once-over, tanned skin and dark eyes. His long black hair was pulled up into a pony-tail revealing pointed ears that marked him as some sort of demon. "No problem babe, you can run into me any time." He glanced at Sango who smiled in that polite and uninterested way "Hey Sango, another cousin?"
Sango snorted "Nah, this is Kagome. She is staying with Inuyasha and his dad." Sango explained and then said "Kagome, this is Koga – we go to school together."
Kagome nodded and held her hand out "Nice to meet you."
Koga took her hand and kissed it before saying "Pleasure is all mine."
Kagome giggled and shook her head, taking her hand back "Speaking of Inuyasha-"
Koga interrupted her "Were we speaking of him? I thought we were speaking of you, prettiness." Kagome blushed lightly and heard Sango scoff.
Leaning against the wall the demon grinned at Kagome "It must be hard living with that brute, why don't you and I get together some time so you can get a break from him. Maybe dinner?" Kagome blinked, he had just met her and was already asking her out, while simultaneously insulting her house-mate?
She glanced at Sango who simply shrugged and walked past them "I'm gonna go find Miroku and Inuyasha, meet me when you are done here."
Kagome watched with large eyes as Sango walked away, was she abandoning her?! She looked back to Koga and smiled "I-well I just got into town. I don't know if I'm ready for-"
"No worries Kagome, it doesn't even have to be a date. Maybe I can show you around the town or something. Help you get settled in."
He moved closer and Kagome bit her lip, feeling caged and not liking it. "Well, you see…"
"Oi, wolf!" A loud and thankfully familiar voice called from behind the demon, Kagome looked around him and saw Inuyasha being followed closely by Sango and Miroku. She felt relief wash over her, Sango hadn't abandoned her…she had gone to get the one person who would get the man off her back.
Koga snarled at Inuyasha "Yea mutt? What the hell do you want now? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Inuyasha was almost exactly the same height as the other man – his ears gave him the smallest advantage – so he glowered into his face "Leave her alone you jerk-off, she didn't come to the mall to be scoped out by creeps like you."
Koga smirked, arms crossing across his broad chest "I think that isn't any of your damn business eh half-breed?" Inuyasha's ears flicked in annoyance and Kagome glanced between the two obviously Alpha-males in worry, afraid this would come to blows.
She wasn't so cocky that she thought the entire fight was over her, there was obviously some kind of deep-rooted issues there that had nothing to do with her. 'Jesus, boys look for any reason to fight.' Before Inuyasha was able to even respond Kagome placed her hand on his shoulder and said, in a dangerously quiet voice and looked at both men with those powerfully dark eyes "I really think that is quite enough." All four of her companions looked at her.
Turning her gaze on Koga she smiled slightly, not liking how he spoke down to Inuyasha and called him a "half-breed" like it was a bad thing. "Thank-you for the invitation Koga, but as I said I am new here and have no real desire to go out with anyone, especially someone who so vehemently dislikes the person I am living with."
Koga was stunned into silence, and simply watched as Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome. She tipped her head to the side, arching a thin black brow – a silent question. The slightest nod and Inuyasha turned to walk away, Kagome falling into step beside him.
As Sango ad Miroku followed the pair, Miroku wiggled his fingers at Koga saying with a grin "Later, wolf." Sango giggled.
As they all walked away, Koga's fists clenched. He never had any problem getting women, and he knew he could find a dozen in the mall who would love to go out with him. It wasn't even that, it was that this random woman who had yet to even start school was turning her nose up at him…for a half-demon.
Koga couldn't understand it, he was handsome and popular and almost as rich as Inuyasha. Star-quarterback on their championship team, he was every woman's wet dream and this chick snubbed him like he was nothing. He knew why though, she had even said as much – Inuyasha. The stupid mutt had always caused him problems. He knew the damn half-breed had to be dealt with sooner or later.
He growled and turned on his heel, heading in the very opposite direction – even though his original destination had been the food court – while he angrily muttered under his breath.
ooo
Everyone walked in silence until they were down the escalator, it was Miroku who broke the silence in the only way he knew how "Ooh, Sango what is that? A pink striped bag? Been to Victoria's Secret?"
Sango groaned "You are the only guy I know who is familiar with the Victoria Secret bag Miroku!"
Kagome giggled behind her hand and Inuyasha glanced down at her, his earlier annoyance still visible on his face but it was fading "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interfered with Koga…but Sango came in and said you were being harassed I just…"
Kagome looked at Inuyasha in surprise "No, please. I'm glad you came when you did. I meant what I said to him, I don't want to date anyone. Especially someone like him."
Inuyasha grinned "I guess that is a relief, I would hate it if you brought Koga into the house as your boyfriend or something…"
The words trailed off, holding more weight than they should have.
Kagome shook her head "No worries there, I don't plan on bringing anyone into the house for romantic reasons."
Inuyasha nodded, but didn't reply for a moment "Yea…me either."
Laughing, Kagome replied "Wow, we are kinda pathetic aren't we?" Inuyasha grinned at her, the conversation of the pair behind them fading away.
Shrugging in response Inuyasha said "No, we are…just particular about who we decide to bring into the house. I mean, it is a very expensive place. Lots of things to steal or break…we can't just let anyone in can we?" He grinned at her.
Smiling up at him Kagome replied "No, I guess we can't."
Miroku popped up suddenly "Kagome, since Sango refuses to inform me of her purchases this afternoon, maybe you can be so kind…?" Inuyasha growled at Miroku who grinned "What?" Kagome crossed her arms and marched ahead of the group towards the exterior doors – pointedly ignoring the brunette male.
"See what you did?" Sango said, running after Kagome laughing. The two women exited the building and stood there in the light afternoon sun.
"This was fun," Kagome said smiling at her new friend "We should do this more often, hopefully you can continue to convince your cousin to stay away."
Sango grimaced "Yea, if she saw the way you and Inuyasha are together she would probably chain herself to him just so you couldn't be alone together." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she glanced at Kagome from the corner of her eyes.
Kagome tipped her head at the woman "The way we are together?"
Sango laughed right out "Oh don't tell me you don't see it!" When she noticed the continued confusion she sighed deeply "Sure, Koga and Inuyasha have always hated each other but I have never seen him jump to defense mode like that or anything close to it so fast. And the jokes, and just…you guys are so cute when you flirt like that. Inuyasha has been single forever now, it's like neither of you know how to do it." Clasping her entwined fingers behind her head she smiled.
Kagome shook her head, just then the guys came out and joined them. Miroku looked sheepish "I'm sorry Kagome that was rude of me."
Kagome smiled absently "It's ok Miroku,"
Inuyasha propped his elbow on the other male's shoulder and asked Kagome "Ready to head home? We can all hang out later if we want."
Kagome nodded and Sango chimed in "Kikyo is going to be staying in Berkley until school starts – that's where her boyfriend goes to school so she won't be tagging along!"
Kagome nodded "Yea, we can go home. I'd like to get my stuff all put away and everything." Glancing at Sango and Miroku she said "We'll all get together soon or something."
Sango nodded, grinning "Have fun!" She grabbed Miroku and led the boy away.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at his friend "Sango is sure being strange today." He shrugged and together he and Kagome headed for the car "You want some help with those bags?" He asked.
Kagome smiled "Why, you wanna know what's in my Victoria Secret bag too?"
Inuyasha grinned a predator's grin and said "Only if you wanted to show me." The words he spoke held such a weighted meaning that Kagome didn't need to see the grin to interpret them. She blushed but held out some of her bags all the same, they had begun to get heavy.
Walking to the car, Kagome's mind wandered a bit trying to recall not only what Sango claims to have seen in the ways her and Inuyasha interacted, but in the ones that were between them, and them alone. Hearing the beeping of the unlocked car, Kagome started. Inuyasha had popped open the small space that was just barely able to be called a trunk and had put her bags in it. She settled the others in beside them and he closed the trunk.
Heading over to her door, she was stopped by a hand on the handle "I have one rule; I always open the car door for a woman." He smiled at Kagome as he did so.
Kagome ducked into the car and said "Isn't that a little old-fashioned?" Inuyasha shrugged, and shut the door.
Once he was inside he said "I like to show my proper respects I guess, old-fashioned or not. Deal with it."
He winked at her and started the engine and Kagome laughed "Respect my ass!"
As they laughed, Inuyasha drove, focusing more on the road than on Kagome, which gave her plenty of time to study him. He was handsome, there was no denying that. Was she flirting with him without realizing it? She shook her head and looked back out the window to her right with a sigh.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
ooo
…-blink-….-blink-…
Well. Are you guys ok with just over 9700 words? It's been a hellaciously long time since I have updated, and for that I apologize!On top of the crap I mentioned at the start, my computer stopped working, and a million other minor excuses that NOBODY CARES ABOUT.
I liked writing this chapter; I only really got stuck twice. Plus during the times that I was writing this chapter I have come up with a few fun plot twists that will expand as the story goes.
I apologize for my lack of responding to reviews, and for not updating. I promise to try and get better at it!