"I'll never understand why you like these things so much," Kagura said, following Kagome into yet another vintage store. She'd been wary about the miko during their business with Naraku, warier still when their paths had crossed in the modern era, but Kagome's forgiving nature knew no bounds, and Kagura found she actually enjoyed her company.
She'd never understood the point of window shopping, either.
Kagura preferred the convenience of online shopping; everything was to the point, and she never had to inspect the merchandise. If there was an issue with the item, she simply returned it. But Kagome enjoyed browsing, especially regarding historical items she could display in the museum.
She swore she wasn't stuck in the past, she simply had an eye for authentic relics, and the curator was more than happy to put her on the payroll after her first few items proved reliable.
It all looked like junk to Kagura.
And dust was not something she enjoyed.
But it made Kagome happy, and Kagura found she enjoyed that side of her, so here she was again, following her through aisles of random objects, all in the hopes she'd find some hidden treasure.
"I promise I'll let you choose the next outing!" Kagome said, disappearing down another aisle.
"That's what you said last time," Kagura groused, brushing off her designer jacket. Why she thought this was a good idea in the first place—
A pulse of youki made her pause, ruby eyes darting around before landing on a cosmetics shelf. Kagura pushed a few things out of the way before revealing an elegant fan.
Her fan.
It was still in pristine condition, the magenta stripes as vibrant as ever, and the sense of familiarity was striking as her fingers curled around it.
How had it ended up here? And in one piece?
Kagura was still staring at it when Kagome returned, a bundle of items in her hands. "Oh, did you find something?" The wind youkai nodded. There was no need for weapons now, but nostalgia gripped her, urging her towards the cashier counter.
"I thought I heard you come in, miko-san. Another collection of treasures for you today?" The voice was younger than Kagura expected, though the power radiating off the woman was immense, finally tearing her eyes off the object in her hand. "And you brought a friend, I see."
Kagome nodded, chattering enthusiastically about her finds, thanking the woman for always informing her when new ones came in.
"I can bag that for you," she offered, tapping the tip of the fan. Kagura frowned as she took in the woman's features. The shade of her markings and hair were familiar, but it was the crescent moon on her forehead that had her eyes widening.
"Is Sesshoumaru around today?" Kagome asked, Kagura's mouth dropping open at the sound of his name.
The cashier sighed. "Unfortunately, no. There was some scandal at work that he had to deal with. But I will tell him you asked about him."
Heat rose to Kagome's cheeks, and she waved it off. "That's alright. Maybe I'll see him next time."
"You could contact him directly instead of lingering around the store." The cashier gave Kagome a knowing look, her cheeks only darkening.
"I know he's busy," Kagome mumbled.
"He is never too busy for you."
Were they actually talking about the same person? There was no way The Killing Perfection chose to hang out with a human. Let alone someone he'd been so indifferent about.
Could 500 years change someone that much?
"I'm sorry, I should've said something earlier. Hizuki-san, this is Kagura. She's from back then too."
Hizuki chuckled and tapped the fan again. "I had a feeling. It is not every day that someone picks out an item that my son procured during his days as a warrior." She smirked. "Though he would contend that he still is one, only that his battleground is now a boardroom."
"Your son?" Kagura asked, flabbergasted. She hadn't known Sesshoumaru to have any living relatives besides the hanyou. And she'd gotten the sense that he would've preferred to forget about that particular relation as it was.
Kagome leaned over, whispering even though no one else was in the store. "Don't worry. She's a lot nicer than Sesshoumaru."
"It is hardly something to boast about, miko-san. Everyone is nicer than Sesshoumaru." Kagome immediately came to the daiyoukai's defence, his mother only reiterating that she should praise him to his face, leaving Kagome a sputtering mess as she turned back to Kagura.
Kagura offered her hand, the other youkai clasping it gently before bringing her knuckles to her lips, eyes lightening to goldenrod. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She managed not to stutter as she held up the fan, asking for the price as Hizuki looked it over. With a power as ancient as hers, she was probably used to a more formal greeting.
It didn't mean anything.
No matter how much her skin tingled from the touch.
"Normally, I would be more than happy to separate you from your hard-earned money, but it would be rather gauche of me to charge you for something that once belonged to you, so please consider it a gift."
Kagura's mouth opened to argue but immediately snapped shut at the seductive smirk on Hizuki's face.
"Perhaps your friend would like to join us for the next company event, miko-san? Not that you need a reason to be in my son's presence, of course."
The flush was still fresh on her face, but Kagome grinned all the same. "That sounds wonderful! You always put on the best parties, Hizuki-san."
"Of course. Be sure to send me photos of what you will be wearing, so I can encourage him to dress to match."
Kagome groaned, already pushing Kagura out of the store. "Yeah yeah. Text me when you get in your next shipment!" Kagura allowed her friend to drag her out the door, even as her eyes lingered on the cashier.
A party didn't sound like a half-bad idea.