A Time for Changes

Chapter 24 -  Wishing I Had Strength To Stand, This Is Not What I  Had Planned

 

 Kagome stood in the center of the street wearing a white slip similar to a nightgown. The wind was blowing and it looked like the sky would snow, even though she was not cold. Her hair was long, billowing in her face with the harsh wind.

A boom echoed ahead of her, the ground rumbled, it felt like thunder. Kagome squinted to see through the wind as a building farther ahead began to collapse. As she began to run, feet bare against the asphalt, a voice cried out to her.

“Mom!”

Kagome looked back behind her to see a small child standing with her arm extended. Midstride, she stopped, and turned back. The little girl looked up at Kagome, her face covered in blood so deep she couldn’t see the eyes. A large force smashed into Kagome’s back.

Kagome shot up in her bed, gasping for air. It took a minute to reorient her; the room was dark and it was not her own.  The bed was huge and Kagome felt very alone in it. She pulled the covers up to her chest and breathed. The sheets were made of the finest silks, the room so beautifully decorated, but at that moment, she wanted to wander to Inuyasha’s bed and wake him.

On the nightstand beside her was her laptop. She opened it and the blue glow of the screen filled her face. After typing a bit she looked to find Inuyasha online, but he wasn’t. She wanted to be disappointed, but she had wanted to talk to him. It said he was idle, so she decided to leave him a video message.

She straightened her hair a little and smiled before hitting record, “Hey, Inuyasha. How are you doing in America?” Kagome waved at the screen. “Is it warm there? It’s warm here. It’s a nice summer.” Kagome bit her lip, realizing she couldn’t tell Inuyasha she was with Sesshomaru. “I don’t have a lot to report. Just wanted to see how you were doing. Give me a call, okay?”

Kagome closed the laptop and looked at the clock. It wasn’t even five in the morning. She slid out of bed and opened the closet. She pulled out a white yukata and sighed. It was going to be a very early morning.

--

Sesshomaru had woken early as well. Demons do not necessarily need sleep, but catered to the concept because it kept others away. A bedroom chamber provided solitude from the hustle and bustle of incompetent house staff and just as incompetent business partners.  To be completely honest, he’d forgotten that the young girl was staying in his mansion until her scent came to his nose.

He followed her scent throughout the house, expecting the college-aged woman to sleep in as long as she could.  Maybe the girl was hungry, but that wasn’t where his nose was leading him. Instead, Sesshomaru found himself standing in front of the storage room he had shown her last night.  The door was ajar; the edge of her yukata could be seen. Sesshomaru couldn’t bring himself to actually open the door, unable to cater to his own, in his mind, stupid, curiosity. He peaked in open space of the door and looked in. 

Kagome was leaned up against a few of the boxes, legs tucked together as she sat on the floor. Her head was propped against a box, exposing her neck to him. She’d fallen asleep. In her hand was a clipboard with a list on it, the pen sitting behind her ear.  To his surprise, she’d moved three boxes to the opposite side of her, completed boxes no doubt. The girl worked fast.

A worker appeared behind Sesshomaru with a cup of coffee for him. He picked it up and shooed the worker away. He took one last look at the sleeping girl before turning away; following the worker down the hallway from where he’d first came.

--

Miroku opened the blinds to his dormitory room, illuminating Sango’s sleeping face in the bed. She groaned at the sunlight and rolled over. “I hate you, you know,” she grumbled.

“Ah, my love, good morning,” Miroku smiled, scratching his bare chest.  He had the newspaper tucked under his arm as he sauntered back to the bed, sitting down beside her. “You want to get up and have some breakfast?”

“I want sleep,” she grumbled, reaching her arm out to try and grab his wrist. “Come back to bed and cuddle with me.”

Miroku chuckled and slid under the covers with her. “Can I read the paper here?”

Sango hummed, “Sure thing.” She rolled over and hugged the pillow against her. “I haven’t said good morning with you next me to in a long time.”

He looked away from the paper and down at her, for once with a gentle and not perverted smile on his face.  He pulled her to his chest, bare skin meeting bare breast. “I will never grow tired of it, Sango.”  Miroku planted a kiss on her forehead.

Sango snuggled against his chest, “Can we stay in bed all day?”

“Does that mean we get to have sex all day?” Miroku laughed, stroking her hair. “Because then I’m totally game.”

“I’d hope you would talk to me as well.”

“Does foreplay talk count?”

She punched his chest and bit him gently, “Miroku, gees.”

“We can talk about anything you want, Sango,” he soothed, turning the page in the American newspaper. “I swear the newspapers here are so…tilted? I mean, there’s a celebrity who was married for less than four months and it’s all they talk about.”

“You want to talk about celebrities?”

He laughed, “No, but my professors suggested that I read the American newspapers to work on my English. It’s so much easier for me to read than write it.”

Sango turned over and rested atop him, his arm slinking around her bare waist under the covers. “What’s new in the world today?”

“Oil prices are going up…” Miroku turns the page, “Another celebrity is anorexic….” He turned the final page and looked down at her, “And I’m in love with the most wonderful girl ever.”

Sango smiled and closed her eyes again, “I love you too.”

His stomach growled and the two laughed, “Can I please make breakfast? I’ll just wear the apron if that’ll entice you.”

She rolled off of him and laughed, “Okay. Okay. But put some boxers on.”

--

Kagome woke to find a blanket wrapped around her. To her surprise she found a little humming Rin on the floor beside her, stomach down, sketching on a smaller version of Kagome’s own sketchpad.

Rin, sensing she had woken up, looked up at Kagome. “Good morning!” Rin stared very carefully at her face, “Kagome-chan! It’s good morning to Kagome-chan.”

“Good morning, Rin-chan.” Kagome yawned and looked around, “Do you know what time it is?”

“Mmm…probably ten. Sesshomaru-sama wakes up Rin-chan at nine. Sesshomaru went to train, he told me to stay near you. Do you want breakfast, Kagome-chan?”

Kagome stood and held out a hand for Rin. “I would love breakfast, but I need you to show me where the kitchen is, please.”

“The kitchen?” Rin tilted her head, “Why the kitchen?”

“So I can cook, silly!”

Rin giggled and dragged Kagome down the hallway; “I’ve never had someone cook breakfast just for me. Usually one of the nice maids brings me something.”

Kagome smiled weakly scampering behind the little girl that pulled her hand.  Thinking back, Kagome didn’t have a lot of home cooked meals growing up either. A twist in her heart made her frown as she thought of Souta. Kagome always cooked meals for Souta before he enlisted, the closest thing to family she could provide for him.

“Well, I hope you like pancakes! I’m craving them.”

The kitchen was probably the entire floor space of Kagome’s apartment.  Every single type of culinary item was in this kitchen, which excited Kagome. She could never afford these sorts of things. Kagome ran to a refridgerator and opened it up.

“That’s the protein cooler, Madam.”

Kagome looked behind her shoulder to see a small poodle like demon looking at her. The woman’s hair was pink and fluffy and while she was aged, she had a shining vibrancy. Kagome stepped aside and closed the fridge, “I guess I shouldn’t really run through a place that isn’t mine.” Kagome bowed her head, “I’m sorry.”

The poodle maid laughed, “Oh goodness, do not bow to me.” She stuck her head out, “Call me Gigi-chan. I know, my parents were very uninspired naming a dog-demon Gigi.”

 

Kagome smiled, “I’ve never met someone with a name like yours. I think it’s inspiring.”

“Do you wish for me to cook you something, Miss?”

“Please, call me Kagome.” Gigi went to open her mouth to protest – “Please, I need some normalcy here. I’m not rich like Sesshomaru-san. I’m just a student. I was actually hoping I could cook breakfast.”

“You want to cook? Goodness I could never let a guest cook.” Gigi was gaping as Kagome wandered over to another cupboard. “Miss, I mean, Kagome-chan, that is where the pots are.”

Kagome opened another cabinet and found a pan. She turned to Rin, who all the while has been laughing sitting on a stool at the kitchen’s island, and grinned. “I hope you like chocolate chips.”

Rin clapped her hands together and giggled, “I like you, Kagome-chan! I hope you stay forever.”

--

Inuyasha opened the door to his hotel room with two coffees in his hands. Kikyo was at the edge of his bed clicking through something on her phone. She was furiously writing something out on her phone and looked up when she saw him enter, “Coffee?”

He nodded and held a cup out for her, “Just how you like it, unless your tastes changed in the time you were gone.”

“I came back to you, didn’t I?” She stood and took a cup from him, pecking his cheek in an almost formal cordial way.

After removing his hat Inuyasha plopped onto the bed and took a long swig of his coffee. “What is on the agenda today? How many apartments?”

“I have been asked to come into work today,” she explained, walking up to the hotel mirror to begin applying makeup. “There are two more apartments for you to look at today.”

“Are you really going to hate every apartment possible so I can spend every single day with apartments?”

Kikyo smirked, “Don’t be a child. You can’t hate everything in this city. I’m here. Just try to think which is suitable. You have a list.” She gestured to the list on the counter. “If it meets six of the ten, keep it in mind to tell me about it.”

“I feel like I’m doing homework.”

“There’s only three, Inuyasha. Do whatever you want after them.” She gave him a small wave and closed the door behind her, heels clicking down the hallway.

Inuyasha groaned and took another swig of his coffee. He looked over to his laptop and saw there was a bouncing icon at the bottom of the page. With a stretched hand he clicked on the screen and pulled up Kagome’s video message.

While it was brief, it made him smile. Inuyasha hadn’t figured out exactly what time it was in Japan, but he pulled out his phone and called her anyway. The phone rang a few times but ultimately went to voice mail. He sighed and closed it, “Figures. The klutz probably left it in her room.”

His watch beeped and Inuyasha stood, heading to the first of the three apartments.

--

Sesshomaru had a pounding headache and could hear loud noises coming from the kitchen. He held his head, growling and the noise, and threw the door open. “Gigi-san, what is that outrageous racket?”

He didn’t need an answer.

The kitchen was a mess of flour, eggshells, and burned chocolate. Rin turned on the stool she was sitting at and smiled at him, chocolate and syrup smears on her face. “Sesshomaru-sama!” She jumped from the chair, picked a plate from the counter, and ran it over to him. “Look! I made you pancakes.”

Sesshomaru looked over at Kagome, who’s pleading eyes told him to take the plate from the little girl. Rin was holding the plate over her head just to get closer to his face. He took the plate and for a brief moment, had a soft look to his normally cold expression, “Thank you, Rin-chan.”

“Will you eat them now, please?” Rin pulled at the ends of the flowing robe he wore. “Kagome-chan hasn’t eaten either. She’s been teaching me this whole time.”

Sesshomaru looked at her with a small glare. Kagome smiled weakly and shrugged her shoulders, her white yukata splattered with mix, some even in her hair. Gigi stood behind Kagome blushing. “It was my idea,” she told him quietly. “She was with me when I woke up, and hungry. I promise Gigi-chan tried very hard to cook for me. I just can’t get used to that.”

Sesshomaru with his clawed hands, ripped a piece of pancake, the most unburnt piece, and took a bite of it. He chewed and swallowed. Rin, with eager eyes, looked up at him. “Well? Is it good?”

“They are acceptable,” he told her, reaching out to pat the top of her head. “But the mess in here is not.”

“I will clean it up!” Kagome chirped loudly, already rolling up the arms of her yukata.

Sesshomaru took another bite to further humor Rin and looked at Kagome, “This Sesshomaru wants you to go clean yourself.  Change the outfit too.” He looked down at RIn, “The same for you.”

Kagome nodded her head and watched Rin-chan run out the kitchen and down the hall.  Sesshomaru slid the plate onto the counter and Kagome chuckled, “You are kind to her. It is unexpected but it’s nice.”

Sesshomaru studied her and turned away, “This Sesshomaru prefers next time you do not entirely destroy the kitchen. Leave dinner to the professionals. That is what the staff is for.”

Kagome huffed slightly, blew on her bangs, and looked back to Gigi.

“Do not let him upset you, Kagome-chan. He just wants things to remain orderly.” She was already pushing all of the mess into the sink where she had the hot water running. “It is in his nature.”

Kagome pushed more dough through her hair, “My life has been anything but orderly. I’d give my kidney for it.”

Gigi smiled gently, “I won’t ask you what you mean, it would be out of place for me to do so, but, you should not change who you are.”

She put her hand on her hip and laughed, “Minor improvements are still welcomed to me. Which way is it back to my bedroom? I’d kind of like a shower.”

“Why not take one in the outdoor spring?”

“He seriously has an outdoor spring?” Kagome threw her hands up in disbelief.  “Is there anything he does not have?”

“It is manmade, but yes. It is delightful.”

Kagome shook her head and sighed.

“I’m fairly certain he does not own a helicopter.” Gigi watched Kagome as she helped clear a few of the larger pots and pans and bring the to the sink. “He also does not have a wife.”

“Oh no, that’s now what I’m for,” Kagome let out a loud, slightly obnoxious laugh. “Maybe Tsuki, but not me.  But which way is it for the hot spring, really?”

“Go out and hang a right. If you walk down the hallway it will open into a larger foyer and you’ll be able to see the sun through the paper doors. If you somehow find a woman on the way there, she’ll take you there.”

“Thanks Gigi-chan.”

--

Kagome stepped out into the hallway and finally made it to the hot spring. Towel under her arm, she slid open the paper door and took in the beautiful landscape. Even though it was artificial, the hot spring was very serene.  She opened her robe and left her goods by the edge of the water. Kagome slid into the water and sighed in relief.

Kagome looked down at her reflection in the water, “It has been quite the morning.”

“Why did you wake up so early? This body is so tired.”

“Just sleep problems. It’s not big deal.”

“Humans…ugh.”

--

Sesshomaru sat at his desk and looked at Rin who was drawing on the floor of his office.

“What are you doing?”

Rin looked up at Sesshomaru, feet kicking in the air as she hummed. “I’m drawing a picture for Kagome-chan.”

“This Sesshomaru did not know you liked to draw.” He leaned forward at the desk and turned a page of his magazine slowly, “And what are you drawing for the young lady?”

Rin giggled and held up a picture of her, Sesshomaru, Kagome, and Tsuki, “We are all in the courtyard for a party! I want to draw Jaken, but I don’t have a green crayon for him.”

“You can ask one of the staff to get you more colors, Rin.”

Rin shook her head furiously, “No! Kagome-chan only draws in black! She drew  all of the things in the closet that way.”

“The closet?”

“Yeah! Where you keep the old dusty pots and vases.”

Sesshomaru looked at Rin, surprised. Had Kagome not only made an inventory list but drawn all the items she’d seen? “She’s more resilient than she seems.”

“Kagome-chan is the best. She saved me!”

“That was Tsuki-chan, who saved you,” Sesshomaru corrected. “She told me she had red eyes then.”

Rin pouted, “Tsuki-chan may have red eyes, but it was Kagome-chan who saved me. She was the one who made sure I was okay.” She crossed her arms and huffed, “But Tsuki-chan is nice too. Tsuki-chan is more like Sesshomaru-sama.”

Sesshomaru chuckled.

“Sesshomaru-sama?”

“Yes, Rin?”

“Why are you helping Kagome-chan? You’re not going to be mean, are you?”

“Mean, Rin-chan? Do you like her more than this Sesshomaru?”

Rin stood up and stamped her feet, clearly realizing she was being put in an unfair situation. She picked up her drawing, squishing it in her hands at the corners. “Rin-chan loves Sesshomaru-sama, but…but…Rin-chan likes Kagome-chan because she’s nice. She saved Rin-chan just like Sesshomaru-sama did…and she taught me to cook…and she…” Rin-chan whipped her head up at him, “Please don’t make her sad, okay?”

Sesshomaru tilted his head, “Sad? This concerns you, Rin?”

“Kagome-chan is very sad! She has no family.” Rin nodded her head up and down, as if she was about to burst into tears. “She was talking in her sleep. She misses her brother. He went to be with Kami-sama.”

“Why don’t you go give her the drawing, it will cheer her up.”

The little girl left the room and Sesshomaru eased back into the chair. Sesshomaru could think back to the two times he’d met Kagome more than he’d ever met Tsuki. The girl was far more timid than Tsuki; Tsuki cut straight to the point, that frankness was refreshing. Kagome’s loss was more similar to his brother’s. Sesshomaru sighed and rubbed his temples. He hated weak beings, but of course, Rin would have a special attachment to this girl.

--

Inuyasha sat across from the happy couple at a coffee shop. “You two are going to make me lose lunch with your obsessive lovey-dovey attitude.”

Sango laughed and took a bite of her bagel, “Hey, you spend time away from the person you love the most.”

“I did. I spent years away,” Inuysaha sneered, looking out the window at the New Yorkers running up and down the streets.

Miroku looked at Sango with a frown, “She’s here now. You’re here now. You have everything you wanted. Right?”

Inuyasha didn’t look away from the window, “Right.”

 

“Look, I know apartment hunting sucks man, but wait until you find an apartment you do like. There’s so much potential in new places. Make sure the counters are low enough so you do it in the kitchen.” Miroku laughed as Sango blushed and then punched him on the sides.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, “I don’t know how we ever lived together. I’m going to disinfect the table when I get…” Inuyasha looked down at the table and then at them and forced a laugh, “I guess you’ll have to warn her when you get back, but careful, she’ll probably throw shit at ya.”

“You guys talk since ya left?” Miroku tried to ask casually.

“It’s been like two days, whatever. Keh, she did leave me a message to call her but I got her damn voicemail. Got the impression she wasn’t sleeping or something.” He rubbed the back of his head when Sango raised an eyebrow at him. “She has nightmares sometimes. She thinks they’re premonitions, like psychic shit. She’s out of her mind.”

Sango stood up and reached out, ruffling Inuyasha’s head. “Okay look, you two probably need a guy talk. I see you everyday, stupid.” She looks at Miroku, “I’m gonna go back to your dorm and when you get back we’ll go to Central Park?”

Miroku nodded and winked, “Make sure you’re naked when I get back.”

She hit him gently upside the head and waved to Inuyasha.

“I feel like she wants us to talk,” Miroku said gently before picking up his coffee. “Frankly I don’t know what to say.”

“Got any good tips for finding an apartment?”

“Don’t live in Brooklyn? You could move to Queens. Go to Astoria, where all the hipsters are.”

“I ain’t no fucking hipster,” Inuyasha chuckled. “Guess I’ll end up working in the city. Business degree and the city, sorta go hand in hand.”

“You don’t seem much like a city guy.”

“We’re from Tokyo, Miroku.”

There was a beat between them. Miroku let out a loud laugh and threw a hand on his face to try and supress his laughter, but it grew until he could barely breath. “Good to have you back, dude.”