Kagome could not sleep.
Turning over to look at the clock on her bedside table, she let out a groan. She had gotten into bed after saying goodnight to her mother and submerging herself in a nice hot bath. While soaking in the warmth of the water, she took to meditating. Well, at least she tried, for about ten minutes. Her mind would not quiet. So, she toweled herself off, dressed in her favorite comfy pajamas, and retreated to the coziness of her bed.
And here she was. Wide awake. She had been so exhausted. And yet, sleep would not come.
She found herself tossing and turning in her old bed, the sheets twisting around her legs. She tried fluffing her pillow, grounding techniques. She even tried her white noise app on her phone.
Nothing was helping.
Letting out a sigh of resignation, she untangled herself from her sheets, planted her feet on the floor and grabbed her bathrobe. Quietly opening her bedroom door, she poked her head out looking towards her brother's room, before slowly sneaking her way downstairs to retrieve her slippers.
Reaching the back door, she slipped her feet into the fuzziness of her nighttime slippers and snuck out into the stillness of the night. Making her way across the shrine grounds, she wandered her way over to Goshinboku.
Stepping over the small fence meant to keep visitors out, she let her hand settle on the bare mark on the tree. Palm flat against that part, she hummed to herself, then letting her body inch closer so she was able to place her forehead against the tree as well. The bark wasn't rough against her skin, rather it felt like she was welcoming in a nostalgic feeling. She had taken to embracing Goshinboku like this when she had moved back home after university.
"I hope you are well," she whispered into the night air, feeling a slight prickle of something against her palm.
She sometimes felt like she was ridiculous, but she swore she could feel the softest hum of power whenever she interacted with the tree like this. Even now she felt a slight shiver of power connecting to her palm.
Lifting her forehead, she left her palm flat on the tree, but took to staring up into the branches of the tree, which were swaying slightly in the night chill, "Inuyasha." She spoke this barely above a whisper, just to feel the way his name would fall off her lips after the years of being away from the place that connected her so deeply to him.
As soon as his name fell from her lips though, a stronger pulse of power was felt channeling itself into her palm, "Ow!" she stumbled backwards, barely missing the little barrier fence.
"What the hell was that?" she spoke to herself, examining the palm of her hand. In the light of the moon, she was able to make out that there was nothing there on the surface of her palm, "Gods, I must be going crazy. Time for bed."
Making her way back into the house, she missed the kanji that had appeared on Goshinboku, below where Inuyasha had been pinned all those years ago, and where her palm had just been.
Across Tokyo, Inuyasha felt a deep ache in his chest, as though something was shifting its way into his heart, like a puzzle piece connecting within his soul. He rubbed his hand over his heart, soothing the skin there. 'I'm too old for this shit' he thought.
He had come back inside just around 20 minutes ago and was getting ready for bed. Staring into the mirror, his eyes focused on his reflection. 'Way too old.' He scanned his features, taking in how exhausted he really looked.
The past two weeks since Grandpa Higurashi's passing had been a whirlwind. He felt as though his world had titled on its axis, dumping him on his ass. Mentally and emotionally speaking? It had.
Inuyasha was no stranger to death, having watched so many of his closest friends and family pass on. Even having to watch his mother slowly fade away in front of his eyes. His immortality, or "slow aging process" you could call it, had been a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because he had made it to the modern age. An era where Kagome was.
A curse because he missed his chosen family deeply.
But he was accustomed to this, to death. Kagome? Kagome wasn't. He had spent the past two weeks worrying over her, hoping that she was handling her beloved Jii-chan's passing in stride.
Deep down he figured she was, hell she had been through losing her father already, she was no stranger to death and all its friends either.
Its friends meaning grief and depression. Yeah. He knew she knew those, too.
Shaking himself out of his current state of unease, he made his way to his king size bed. Atop the sheets, a two tailed cat sat, curled up in a ball.
"Make sure you stay hidden tomorrow, Kirara," he spoke softly.
The fire cat opened one eye, "Mew."
Kirara's demonic aura was always contained due to the concealment charm on her collar, but she was able to turn off her demonic features whenever she felt like it. The perks of being a demon that already had the powers to shift forms made it easier for her to change features on demand. That or being a Kitsune. Shippo sure as hell was able to look like whomever or whatever, whenever he wanted to.
Sliding under the silk sheets, Inuyasha's head hit the pillow. Reaching over to turn off his bedside lamp, he let out a deep sigh before allowing sleep to consume him.
Downstairs, his nephew sat awake across from his father.
"So, she's his mate?" Koji asked.
"That is correct," Sesshomaru replied, walking into the foyer. "I believe your father told you the entirety of the story then, pup?" He narrowed his eyes to his son.
"I did father, to the best of my ability," Yuto answered. The younger dog demon nodded to his father before looking back to his own son, "I'll leave you to talk to your grandfather, pup. We all have a big day tomorrow."
"Night, dad" Koji spoke softly, smiling in his father's direction before facing his grandfather, "I apologize for causing any issues earlier, sir."
"Don't give me that 'sir' crap, pup." Sesshomaru was still a stone-cold hard ass, but when it came to his inner circle of family, he was extremely affectionate, "You were surely an idiot, but I am not angry. Only disappointed you could not listen to an order. Don't let it happen again," he let his aura trump his grandson's, watching as Koji shifted in his seat.
"Okay. I won't. But I do have a question if I am allowed to ask?" He sent a questioning look Sesshomaru's way.
"Hn?"
"Why such a big deal over a mate? Why didn't Uncle Yash just go to her himself and talk all of this out? It all seems a bit elaborate, don't you agree?" Koji was confused to say the least. He had seen friends and family members find their mates over the years, and fancy parties as well as large sums of money being given to one family wasn't in the norm.
Sesshomaru let out a long, frustrated sigh, "My son is incompetent, he must be if you do not understand the impact this will have on our family. And not just our family, but the Demon Alliance itself."
"What does some shrine girl being Uncle Yash's mate have to do with the Alliance?"
"It has everything to do with the Alliance."
The tone in his grandfather's voice told Koji that the conversation was finished.
"Go to bed now, Koji. You have a busy day tomorrow, too." Sesshomaru patted his grandson on the shoulder as he stood up and made his way out of the foyer.
"Too early," Kagome groaned, tapping the snooze button on her cellphone. Rolling over to face the wall, she placed her pillow over her head to block out the sunlight that had been glittering in her room from the window.
Her childhood bedroom had come a long way away from the pink frill she had once loved. The walls were painted a neutral tan color, the curtains taking on a very similar hue. The decorations were sparse, and the only photographs that were hung were those of the Higurashi family. The bedspread was a deep maroon color, one that she had suggested her mother go for when she moved to San Francisco. A deep red had always been a color Kagome gravitated to, even now.
Shuffling her feet underneath the covers, Kagome let out another large groan. Just before she could take the pillow off her head, Sota came barging into her bedroom.
"Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty!" he yelled, picking up one of the forgotten bed pillows off the floor and chucking it at his sister.
Kagome got him back by quickly chucking both pillows right back at her brother, "I'm up!"
"Good. Mr. Takahashi is having the limo arrive for you in about an hour and a half so time to get ready." At the widening of his sister's eyes, he turned around and fled the room before her breakdown could begin.
"An hour and a half! I need to shower and put on makeup and do my hair and-" she scrambled to her feet, almost tripping over the part of the bedspread that had landed on the floor. Rushing to the bathroom and bypassing her chuckling brother, she slammed the bathroom door shut. Sota shook his head and retreated back downstairs to join not only his mother at the kitchen table, but also Josh, who had shown up not that long ago.
"You sure are an early riser, huh?"
Snorting, Josh replied, "Anyone is an early riser compared to Kagome."
Sota sent him a smile, "Ya got that right, man." He took a seat next to his mom, picking up his cup of tea and turning back to the task at hand, "Should we send Kagome with the timeline we sent the Takahashi's already? Or do you think they'll have a copy printed out?"
Mama smiled at her son, "Definitely send her off with any of the planning documents we have sent to them and vice versa. You know how detail oriented she is."
"Ah, yes. Good point," Sota began separating certain documents into piles, wanting to best prepare his sister for the big meeting with the benefactor, "I still am so lost on how one of the richest men, richest families in all of Japan are connected to Jii-chan? Has anyone cleared that up for us yet?" He turned his skeptical gaze to his mother, searching for any answers.
"The only thing I've been told is that the family knew of grandfather. That is the most they would give away. It is quite odd, isn't it?" she hummed before taking a long sip of her morning tea.
Josh decided to interject at this, "Maybe someone in the family knew him long ago and they were friends? From what Kagome has told me, this family does a lot of donating to historical properties throughout Japan, so perhaps it also is a way of helping preserve the history here?"
Both Sota and Mama nodded at this, smiling at Josh's genuine insight.
"Josh has a point there," Kagome had appeared, having finished her quick morning shower. Her hair was currently piled atop her head in a microfiber towel while the rest of her body was covered by a big, white bath towel, "Any more tea for me?" She motioned to the kettle on the stove. Sota observed the casual way his sister had no issue appearing in a state of undress in front of her friend. He also observed the way Josh was watching her make her way around the kitchen.
"Yes, sweetheart," her mother responded, "I left a teabag out for you, and there is some toast also. Please eat while you're getting ready," Mama sighed. Her daughter always was one to skip out on breakfast to get a few moments more of sleep.
"Yes, Mama," she came around the table to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, "thank you." Kagome made her way to the toaster, sending Josh a warm smile before taking her breakfast upstairs to finish getting ready.
45 minutes later and Kagome was making her way downstairs.
"Oh, Kagome. You look stunning," Mrs. Higurashi made her way around the table to meet her daughter at the bottom of the stairs.
Kagome was a vision in light green. Her dress came to mid-calf, flowing freely around her bottom half. The top half was a more form fitting v-neck, dipping into her cleavage in a tasteful way, outlined in a beautiful, small ruffle of the same material and color. The dress had a fluttery cap sleeve, mimicking the same flowing movement of the bottom of the dress. Her hair was freshly styled into loose waves just reaching below the middle of her back, the light of the morning hitting the blue-black hue in a captivating way. She wore nude closed toe heels and was holding onto a light blue denim jacket in her right hand. Her big, brown eyes were popping against the light layer of mascara she wore, and her cheeks were rosy from her dusting of blush. To finish out the look, she wore a clear gloss on her lips. Kagome felt beautiful.
"Thank you, Mama, I wanted to make a good impression," she smiled.
Josh had been captivated as he watched Kagome make her way down the stairs. She was glowing, "You definitely will, 'Gome."
Kagome beamed at Josh's compliment, coming to stand next to him near the kitchen table, "Thank you," she murmured.
"Yeah, yeah. You look good, sis," Sota broke the moment. Shoving a folder in her hands, "These are all of the files you'll need for today's meeting. It is the conversation history between us and the Takahashi's as well as the timeline and run of show for the event. Feel free to look it over during your ride over."
Kagome took the folder from her brother, opening it slightly to take a peek, "Dang. This is a lot."
Kagome was slightly confused around this whole ordeal. Her confusion didn't take away from her gratefulness, not at all. She was truly so honored that such a well-known family wanted to donate to her little family shrine. But that was just it, she was confused about why. What Josh had mentioned earlier had been her only sane thought on the whole thing. They just must love history, just like her Jii-chan.
"Limos here," Sota spoke, breaking his sister from her thoughts.
"Limo?!" Kagome squealed.
"Yeah. They're billionaires. What did you think they were going to pick you up in?" Sota chuckled at his sister's juvenile reaction to something as simple as a limo. He loved seeing her joy, "Go on you two, make us proud!" He smiled.
Kagome motioned for Josh to make his way out of the home first. She quickly turned to peck her mother on the cheek and gave Sota a side hug, "I love you guys." She then made her way to follow Josh. Upon exiting the door, she took hold of Josh's arm, "My escort for the day," she smiled up at him.
"Yes, miss," he smiled back, playing along with her game. Leading them over to the shrine steps and down to the limo, Josh couldn't help but feel a pit in his stomach. What was today going to bring?
"Am I allowed to be around today? Or should I hide upstairs with the cat? Perhaps accompany you wherever you are running off to?" Rin chuckled as her brother-in-law came into the kitchen.
"Good morning, to you too, Rin," Inuyasha spoke softly, offering her a quick peck on her cheek, and a pat on the head.
"I'm serious, Inuyasha. Where would you like me to be?" Rin was stubborn. She often reminded him of Kagome and how she acted back when they were traveling to gather the Shikon shards.
"Ask Sess. Honestly, if she figures out who he is, which she very well might, she probably will know it's you right away," he finished pouring himself a cup of coffee and joined Rin at the kitchen island.
"Fine. But I do hope you just hide upstairs; in case she freaks out or something. Which I'm betting she will. I know I would," Rin was worried. Even back when she had known Kagome, she saw how deeply her love ran for the half demon. Anyone with eyes did. It was obvious. And it was also so, so romantic.
Over the years, Rin and Inuyasha had grown close, falling into your typical brother-sister relationship. The bonding of the two Inu brothers had taken many by surprise, but not Rin. She knew her husband, her mate and she knew her brother-in-law. They were just stubborn. That didn't mean there hadn't always been some semblance of loyalty there, even if they did try to kill one another a few times. Who was counting anyway? Right.
Rin also knew how long her brother-in-law had waited to see, to be with Kagome again. It wasn't common for demons, half demons, quarter demons even, to find their mate and then have to be separated from them for so long. Centuries long. It was unheard of. And yet, Inuyasha had done it.
To say she was excited for him was an understatement.
"Oi, quit your giddiness. Nothing is happening today, or maybe even at all," he spoke, shaking his head at the woman. Even after all of these years, she still was like the younger girl she once was, who followed his brother around like a lost puppy, smiling at the simplest things. It was endearing, truly it was. But when it came to the matter of Kagome, he did not care to hear anyone else's thoughts. This was between him and her, if she would even speak to him once she knew the entirety of the truth.
"He is right, Rin," Sesshomaru spoke, "we do not know what Kagome will think or do. But I do have a feeling she is going to recognize me, so we must be prepared with the protocol we have come up with." He stood next to Rin, who was still seated at island, her hands around her own coffee mug.
"Which is?" Inuyasha asked.
"If she realizes it is me, I will take off my concealment charm and beckon Rin to come in. We will take it from there. I have nothing to worry about," he let his right eyebrow raise at his brother's responding scowl.
"God, fuck. Just remember, do not answer questions about me, okay? That goes for every single being that can hear me right now," he said, knowing other ears of the family were eavesdropping, "especially you, Koji. Not a word."
Just then, Koji came out from his hiding space in the powder room and entered the kitchen, "Understood, Uncle Yash."
"We are about 15 minutes away," the driver spoke back to the occupants of his limo.
Kagome glanced up from the file she was reading at the sound of the driver's high-pitched voice, "Thank you, sir!" she sent back. She turned her head to look at Josh who was glancing out the tinted windows of the limo, "Enjoying yourself?" she asked.
Josh had a weird feeling in his gut that he couldn't shake, but he wasn't about to tell Kagome that. He knew she was nervous enough even if she wasn't outwardly showing it, "Sure am, how could I not be with such a beautiful companion for the day?"
Kagome felt her cheeks flush just a little, giggling as she responded, "You don't look so bad yourself."
And he didn't. Josh was sporting a light blue button down, the cuffs rolled up around his forearms. He wore dark navy slacks as well as his well-worn dark brown, leather dress shoes. His blonde hair was tied into a casual bun at the base of his neck, a few wispy pieces hanging around his face, accentuating his bone structure. Yeah, Josh looked good.
"You're staring," Josh cackled, breaking Kagome out of her trance.
"Oh, shut up," she grumbled, situating her folder of documents in her lap, and looking out the window. "I'm nervous." She couldn't get this feeling out of her system that she was missing something. Something important. The Takahashi's were an older Japanese family, known for their money and generosity. Why should she be so caught up on the fact they chose her family to donate to?
"You're going to be great. They're the ones giving your family a bunch of money, you don't need to do much. Just assist with what they ask and show how grateful you are," he reassured. While Josh hadn't ever had to deal with such a situation, he knew Kagome was confident and he wanted that to shine through.
"I don't want them to regret their decision," she mumbled to her hands.
"Kagome," he waited for her to look up at him, "they could never, especially not after they meet you."
'He always knows what to say to me' Kagome thought.
"Thank you, seriously. I'm really happy I have a sidekick today," at that moment the limo came to a stop. Kagome smiled.
"We are here," the driver said, unbuckling his seat belt and exiting the limo.
Just then, the door opened. Josh and Kagome made eye contact one last time before Josh exited the vehicle, smoothing his pants as he stood on solid ground. He then turned back to the open limo door, offering his hand to Kagome as she exited.