Chapter 1: A Cup to Warm Your Heart


Inside the café it was a whirlwind of espresso, casual conversation, and Inuyasha's loud cursing. Monday, shining in its bright and early glory, was Crescent City Cafe's busiest day. Behind the counter, three scurrying workers arduously kept pace. Kagome's fingers seemed to blur as she hastily kept up with the increasing line of customers. After typing in the fourth vanilla latte in a row, she had to steady herself with a deep breath. Her rosy cheeks began to ache from the polite smiles she gave each customer, properly sending them off.

"Thank you, have a good day." Kagome's voice was effortlessly cheery despite the flustering circumstances. While Kagome typed in orders, she noticed in the corner of her eye Sango's ponytail swinging wildly as she kept pace. One of the new hires had called in, so Sango was working the drink station by herself that day. Seeing there was no one else in line, she quickly hopped onto helping the other barista with drinks. The two girls together created the swiftness of a well oiled machine, their bodies dancing synchronously with the other.

Clusters of satisfied people began to slowly dissipate with various sized cups in their grasps. Soon enough, the shop settled into a peaceful buzz of chatting customers. Behind the counter, Kagome and Sango leaned back taking their respite. Even Inuyasha came out of the kitchen, grumbling that he needed a quick smoke after all that. Kagome's eyes scanned the café for any incoming customers, and seeing that there were none she looked towards the other barista.

"Are you feeling matcha after all that?" Kagome asked, reaching for a small cold cup.

"You know, I would love one. How kind of you for offering," Sango teased as she stretched her arms over her head. "It's almost like last week when you said you'd totally pass away if you didn't have some form of caffeine made by me."

"I have no idea what you mean, Sango!" Kagome mocked being hurt, summoning feigned innocence in her bright blue eyes. Sango rolled her eyes at the gesture, but a smile crept onto her lips nonetheless. Their light bickering was a ritual they performed every shift that they worked together. When Kagome presented the matcha to her, she greedily drank away.

"Is that safe to drink?" Inuyasha remarked, joining them behind the counter. He reeked of cigarettes, even after washing his hands. Kagome glared at him, but discreetly cast Sango a hopeful look. For a moment her facial expression was blissful, her pink shadowed lids closed. It felt hopeful, until suddenly Sango's bliss crumpled with a cough. Observing the matcha closely, noticeable clumps of green powder at the bottom of the cup.

"It's only matcha that I suck at, okay!" Kagome seethed, taking the offending drink from Sango.

"Hn, not quite what one would like to hear from a manager," a cold voice rumbled by the register. Turning around, a tall man with cropped silver hair standing before them. Kagome couldn't help staring at the sleek expanse of his face. This stranger was absolutely gorgeous! His handsomeness didn't even falter with the icy expression behind his amber eyes and quirked brow. Inuyasha's pleasant expression immediately soured at the man's presence.

"What's it to ya, bastard?" Inuyasha barked. Silently, the man's gaze slid only momentarily onto him before regarding Kagome once again. However, the slight was not lost on Inuyasha. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Higurashi Kagome, correct?" The man asked, walking over the threshold to approach them behind the counter. As he picked up Kagome's failed matcha, his height became increasingly intimidating.

"Yes," Kagome answered, nervously picking at the ends of her cream sweater as his eyes met hers; him holding her matcha made her nerves prickle against her skin. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met before…"

"I am Takahashi Sesshomaru, co-owner of this café." Kagome's stomach dropped to her feet, but she didn't miss the last name he shared with Inuyasha . "Now, the matter is that my and my father's business relies on our managers to maintain a certain competency while working here. I'd recommend you do better than this if you wish to hold your position, Higurashi." With those stinging words hanging in the air, he put the reprehensible drink down. His emphasis on "competency" made her blood turn from icy fear to boiling rage.

"Listen here, sir, while I appreciate your feedback on my competency, I'm curious to see how well you would do working back here on the line. Perhaps you could be a little more understanding of mistakes that can happen and show some respect to those that work for you," Kagome bit out, her eyes glinting with a newfound flame. Sesshomaru didn't say anything for a moment, simply dragging his amber eyes across her indignant face.

"Hn."

Kagome watched numbly as Inuyasha followed after Sesshomaru turned to make his way into the back kitchen. Fists clenched into tight balls as she fought to hold back angry tears. Never in her twenty-one years of life had she been spoken to in such a manner, by a superior nonetheless. Sure, she wasn't a great barista, but she ran the café admirably. At least that's what she thought until now.

"Hey, it's okay, we'll just work on getting better at drinks, right?" Sango's comforting hand weighed on Kagome's shoulder as she sank lower into frustration. She had hoped that her words would have at least garnered a response better than 'hn.' A sudden grunt from the back caught the girls by surprise as they turned around to see Inuyasha and Sesshomaru walk out. A new deep red mark splashed across Inuyasha's cheek, while Sesshomaru's button-up was slightly askew. Readjusting his shirt, Sesshomaru cast his gaze onto the three of them.

"There will be some necessary changes coming in, I will be coming in more often to ensure we are running this business efficiently," He stated simply. Amber eyes pierced through Kagome, who couldn't prevent a frown from slipping. "Since you are a manager, Higurashi, we will have weekly check-ins to make sure you are fit to keep your position."

'Goddamn prick!' Kagome thought, not bothering to hide her displeasure. The café's doorbell chimed as Sesshomaru left the three workers staring in disbelief. Noticing the time, she instructed the other two to begin their chores for when the next crew came in. Luckily, Sango kept up a feigned positivity until the end of their shift finally came.

"Why don't we study at my place tonight? Kirara would love to have the extra attention," Sango posed. They were grabbing their belongings from the locker room when Inuyasha stepped in. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of black cargo pants as he walked towards Kagome. The two girls peered at him curiously.

"What're you still doing here, Inuyasha? You're usually the first one out." Kagome said, shifting her backpack over her shoulders. The typical Inuyasha response would have been to make some sort of retort or insult, but none were thrown her way. Instead, an odd look overtook his expression.

"Don't let that asshole's words get to you, okay?" Inuyasha said, looking only her momentarily in the eyes. "You're a fine manager."

"Huh?" Kagome said dumbly, stunned at the compliment he had given her. Noticing her confusion, Inuyasha crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Forget it!" he scoffed and began to walk away. When he left, Sango came out from behind a locker where she attempted to conceal her presence. Shortly, the two followed suit leaving the café as well.

"Was Inuyasha giving you a compliment?" Sango asked, just as perplexed. Kagome could only shake her head. She was used to Inuyasha's brutish temperament, not compliments. Even so, she couldn't help the small smile that brushed her lips at the small kindness he had offered to her. It was so unexpected.

Working at the café for the past two years, Kagome had settled into a routine. She would arrive to open before the sky awoke, and she'd leave with the sun stretched to its zenith. Sango would be a joy to work with, and Inuyasha would be a force to reckon with. All of it she had become accustomed to. As she waved off Sango, Kagome looked up at the clouds streaming lazily across the brilliant blue sky. Deep in her heart, she knew change was approaching. Surprisingly, Kagome found herself accepting it.


A/N: This is unbeta-ed. I apologize for any errors made in this chapter, I was so excited to post it. Thank you for reading! :)