Fire and Rain
folder
InuYasha AU/AR › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
13
Views:
3,172
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
InuYasha AU/AR › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
13
Views:
3,172
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the characters from the series. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Could It Be You?
Five: Could It Be You?
(Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes)
Despite all the big talk of yesterday, Sango had to go back to work at the salon and spa. She had already missed two days without calling in, and her boss was a fearsome Mexican woman armed with Crayola eyebrows, the rough voice of a banshee that had screeched its last scream, and the insults repertoire of a drill sergeant. Kagome had urged Sango to go back to work instead of faking her death, since being spoken sharply to in Spanish would be less expensive in the long run. Plus, Kagome had been wanting to get out on her own and explore the town she had left behind.
What had changed?
What had stayed the same?
A few minutes after Sango had left, Kagome pulled on the clothes she had worn the day before since the ones Inuyasha had purchased had not yet arrived and she didn’t feel right taking things from her friend’s closet without permission. The day was sunny and bright, warm and breezy, just absolutely perfect, the way the weather almost always was. Taking a deep breath, she walked in the direction of what had used to be her main stomping grounds.
Some of the businesses were different, but not all. There were some she had never seen before, which looked interesting, but since she didn’t have any money, she didn’t even want to look. It would just make her feel worse. An interesting-looking building, painted in colorful odd ball murals and little handprints, caught her eye. A children’s bookstore! One of those little places that hardly exist anymore thanks to big bookstores, Wal-Mart, internet shops, and pirating. The sign was in the shape of a cloud and said in big, block lettering “Kōga’s Kiddie Kodices”. The name of the place was weird, and if interpreted the right way it would seem to allude that the “kodices” were made of children, but Kagome went inside anyway, the little girl inside of her absolutely enchanted by the Reading Rainbow fantasy brought to life right in front of her. She felt sick at the thought that she hadn’t experienced a place like this as a child and was suddenly oddly jealous of the tykes around her.
There were tons of kids dragging their parents by the hand, pointing at creative displays of books and demanding them, even if they were out of their age range. It delighted Kagome, who had always been a reader and worried for the literary future of the world’s youth. They had all the classics, an area for used books (trading and buying), and a ton of books she had never even seen before. That wasn’t exactly new, since she had been basically sleeping for six years, but there were just so many. She wished she had money so she could pretend to be buying some books for a relative or something and then just take them home and read them in private, no shame.
“Can I help you?”
The man at her elbow was tanned a deep brown and his eyes were a laughing blue. His black hair completed the picture and something about him reminded her of Errol Flynn, with maybe a dash of Inuyasha, but not enough to make her feel sad or upset.
“Ha, um, no, I’m just looking…” she said nervously. His personality was one of those that project and made everyone notice the person it belonged to. At this point in her life, all that did was make her feel somewhat anxious.
“You new in town?” he asked casually, and without waiting for an answer, launched into his sale man’s spiel. “We’re not just a bookstore, you know. We’re also an independent publishing company. My own books are here as well as some written by my current and former employees. We just turned five this past Friday and business is booming!”
“That’s nice,” she said smilingly, edging away.
“Can I interest you in this story here?” he said, pulling a book from off a nearby shelf and smiling at her winningly. “It’s about a wolf who falls in love with a beautiful princess and wishes to become human. Boys and girls love it. Even I love it. I should, ‘cause I wrote it.”
“That’s okay, I—“
“No? So you’re shopping for an older child, then? We have books to read to babies in the womb all the way to kids up to the age of twelve.”
“No, I just—“
“How about this one? It’s about a group of friends who fight crime in their middle school. It’s got a bunch of goofy villains who all attend the same school, although a couple are teachers. It’s on sale, so—“
“I don’t have any money,” she blurted, her face turning red quicker than ever. The way she had said it made it obvious she didn’t just not have it on her, but none at all. Kagome hadn’t even meant to speak, she just wanted him to stop the sales pitch.
His eyes widened at her burst of frankness and he nodded. “You need money, then, obviously. How old are you?”
“Fif— I mean twenty-one.”
“You ever work before?”
She shook her head.
“You’re hired. What’s your name?”
She stared at him in confusion. What had just happened? “Uh, Kagome? Higurashi.”
He grinned at her and clapped her gently on the back. “Well, Kagome, I’m your boss now, but I don’t want any of that ‘Mister’ or ‘Sir’ crap, okay? Just call me Kōga. Now let me show you what you’ll be doing here.”
Oo/O
Kōga showed her how to work a register and told her that she would hardly ever have to do that, as her duties would mostly consist of helping the customers and reading to the kids during story time. She’d be making a few dollars above minimum wage, nothing fancy but enough so that she could actually pay rent and even start paying for classes at the local community college soon enough. If she stayed an employee in good standing, Kōga mentioned that a raise was very likely. Kagome was absolutely thrilled. This kind of stuff only happened in the movies! He didn’t even ask for any paperwork or anything other than the tax form, and paid her a week in advance.
As he was handing her the check, he snatched it back quickly, his eyes dancing playfully. “I don’t do this for just anyone, Kagome Higurashi. I like you. I don’t like a lot of people.”
“I like you too!” she said sincerely, smiling at him. She really did. He was giving her money and a job at a fun place, what wasn’t to like?
His smile widened and he placed the thin piece of paper worth so much in her open palm. She wondered if her old bank account was still open. The last time she’d checked, which had been the day of her accident, she’d had only seventeen dollars to her name after spending everything on the perfect dress, the one she’d worn for about three minutes.
“Great! So I’ll pick you up around seven, then?”
“For what?” Did he want her to work the night shift? Did a children’s bookstore have a night shift? Was this place a front for the mob?
“I’d like to get to know you better,” he drawled, leaning back in his big bossy boss man chair grandly. “I’ve invested in you, so it’s only natural. You like movies?”
Kagome nodded. Free money (well, not totally free since she’d be working for it the entire week) and a free dinner and a free show. She could go for that.
“I live in the apartments on Baker, right by the freeway,” she said brightly, beginning to feel giddy.
“Great! I’ll be there at seven sharp.”
Oo/O
When Kagome told Sango she had a job and a date with her new boss, she did not expect her friend to burst into tears. Bemused, she patted her back as she bawled on the couch, her mascara painting her cheeks and neck.
“It’s not fair!” Sango wailed, stomping one foot childishly. “You get a yummy man boss and lover your first day outside and that fucking chola is making me wax the vag of every fat bitch who comes into the salon for at least another week! And I haven’t been with a guy since last month!”
Kagome tried to think of something consoling to say, but Sango’s life did sound pretty bad right now.
“Uh, Sango?”
“Yeah?” her friend sniffled, turning her watery brown eyes on her.
“Um, you’ve had sex.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I just…” Kagome said nervously, her hands fumbling with each other in her lap. “I never did—that.”
Sango laughed and wiped at the now dry, caked on mascara, accomplishing nothing but further smearing it. “I know, dummy. You’re not so hot that you were reeling in the men even when unconscious. Are you worried about your big date?”
She nodded. “Not like I’m just gonna let it happen with him,” she stated quickly, “but I think it would be good to just, I don’t know, maybe know a little bit about it.” If what Inuyasha had done to her with just a few fingers was any indication, sex was fucking amazing.
Her friend nodded sagely, most likely remembering that Kagome’s mother had not allowed her to take Sex Ed. “You just want to know what to expect, right?”
“Yep.”
“How far did you get with Inuyasha?”
Kagome blushed under Sango’s curious, concentrated gaze. She had stopped being close friends with pretty much everybody but Inuyasha the moment they began to go out. She hated to admit it, but he had been her whole world, and without him everything had just seemed so boring. Sango and she had continued to talk and hang out, but they were distant, and had never spoken in depth about her relationship.
“We, uh,” Kagome started lamely, not wanting to tell Sango about his wandering hands in the restaurant, “pretty much just kissed. A lot. I would let him touch me sometimes. Mostly over my clothes, a couple times under.”
“Pfft, that’s nothing,” Sango said dismissively. “I am going to corrupt you for your own good, my little angel.”
Confused, Kagome’s eyes followed her friend’s trip around the room, where she grabbed her hot pink laptop and excitedly jumped back onto the couch.
“Welcome to the world of porn, Kagasaurus!” Sango said dramatically while typing a website into the address bar.
“N-no!” Kagome cried out in shock. “That’s disgusting!”
The other woman merely raised a brow. “Why?”
“That’s— That’s for boys who just, wh-who can’t— It’s not right!” she stammered, her face flushing.
“Just sit back and watch.”
Kagome would have bolted, but the sounds coming from the computer in her friend’s lap made her stay. It was just so loud and wet. Kissing had never been like that with her and Inuyasha! Why was the woman moaning that way? So loud and almost violently. The guy was hardly touching her. And the breathing sounded just so wrong.
“This one’s my favorite,” Sango whispered like a little girl, her eyes lit up with a fire Kagome had never seen before.
Another man came in, dressed in some type of worker’s uniform; they never bothered to clarify his profession. Abruptly, he began to kiss the man and Kagome’s eyes went wide.
“W-wow,” she squeaked. The sight of two men kissing was doing something not entirely pleasant or unpleasant to her insides.
“Bi porn is my total fave, but only if the dudes really get into it.”
Kagome nodded, watching the men allow the woman to undress them. Neither were wearing undergarments, and both were frightfully erect. Once they were completely free of their clothes and the woman took her skimpy dress off, she knelt and they began to poke her face with their penises. The woman’s eyes closed in ecstasy and she groaned yet again.
“Why are they doing that?” Kagome asked, concerned.
Was this all normal? It looked weird and uncomfortable and awkward. They began to lightly slap her face with their cocks, and Kagome felt like laughing. How would anyone in their right mind consider this to be arousing? It was the most off-putting thing she had ever seen and she wanted to enter a convent.
“Here’s the good part!” Sango squealed.
The woman hocked one on the first man’s dick and then the other and the men just put their heads back and moaned, stroking themselves. Kagome began to feel sick, which only intensified when the second man knelt and leaned over the first, who was now laying prone on the ground, and spread himself apart to reveal a hole she knew was much, much, much larger than normal and absolutely frightful looking. The woman produced a long strand of spit and let it hang in the air for a moment before she let it release onto the reclining man’s penis. The standing man stood over his companion, teasing the tip of the other man’s cock with his bottom before fully sinking down onto it. The woman squatted above the first man’s face and immediately began to almost scream in what Kagome supposed was meant to sound like pleasure.
“What is going on?” she whispered in horror.
Ignoring her, Sango continued to watch, fascinated, as the prematurely aged people on the screen gyrated together until they reached completion. Finally, it was over.
“Um, I think you’re gonna have to get ready for your date on your own. I’ll just uh, be in my room. I don’t feel well. Yeah, I’m gonna go in my room and brush my teeth for a while…”
Sango ended up “brushing her teeth” with her electric toothbrush in her bedroom with the lights off and the door locked for fifteen minutes while Kagome tried and failed to get her eyeliner looking right, eventually giving up and smudging most of it away, which ended up looking pretty good. Not bothering to change since it was just going to be a casual thing, she waited outside without saying goodbye to her roommate, not knowing whether she’d be able to look her in the eye ever again.
Walking to just in front of the closed gate that sheltered the tiny apartments from whatever pathetic thief would try and rob the shabby-looking units, Kagome impatiently tapped her foot and waited for her boss, early but somewhat reluctant now that Sango had introduced her to the wonderful world of porn. Fifteen minutes before the agreed upon time, Kōga arrived in a dusty pick-up, windows down, speakers blaring a catchy tune she would have to look up later.
“Your carriage awaits, princess!” the dark-haired man said with a wide smile, showing far too many perfectly straight, white teeth. He jumped out, and before she could touch the door handle, he had it open for her.
“Heh, thanks!” she laughed nervously. Kagome was really, really, really hoping he wasn’t going to expect her to do anything like what she had seen in that video. Just thinking about it made her nauseous.
The car’s interior smelled like he had dumped an entire container of Febreze in it. Either he was just as nervous as she was or he was an avid weed smoker and not sure of her beliefs. Whatever the case, she rolled the window down the slightest bit, hoping he wouldn’t notice and start asking her if something was wrong, which would inevitably lead to her spitting on his dick. Why had she thought this was a good idea again?
“So, when’d you move here?”
“Uh, just a few weeks ago. Still getting settled.” Kagome was torn between being honest with Kōga and the fear that if he knew she had been knocked out for years he would fire her. While she was definitely planning on telling him in the future, she wanted to let him get to know her a little first before she dropped that info bomb.
“Cool. Yeah, I moved into the area about the time I opened the shop. I saw you walking around outside looking a bit lost, and if you hadn’t come in I would have abandoned my post just to get your number,” he said with a flirtatious smirk.
“Ha, no,” she said uneasily, calling herself every name in the book as she did so. Why was this suddenly so difficult? Damn Sango.
“No, I mean it!” he said urgently, his brows almost coming together in his eagerness for her to believe him. “You’re my dream woman. I wanted to take you out and be with you as much as possible the moment I saw you.”
“You’re such a flirt,” she replied, trying to brush it off. Kagome liked the attention and she liked Kōga, but wasn’t exactly sure the two combined were very good for her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves while reminding herself that he was her boss and the food was going to be free, Kagome said, “In any case, I’m very glad I met you, Kōga. What do you have planned for tonight?”
He stopped sweating and grinned. “First off, a movie. You pick, I don’t care much what we see. What I’m looking forward to is the dinner. You can pick the place and then we can talk, get to know each other.”
“Alrighty. How about we go see one at that theater by the lake?” She wanted to slap herself as soon as she said it. Inuyasha had always taken her to that specific theater, and afterwards they’d make out in the gazebo overlooking the small, man-made body of water. Kagome hoped it no longer existed, but then again that would just seem weird since she had apparently just moved to town and knew about a theater that had possibly been torn down years ago.
“That one’s my favorite!” he said, and off they went.
Conversation stopped completely, and it was the most agonizing experience of her young life. She couldn’t stop thinking about the porno, and the more she thought about it, the faster her heart beat, and not in a good way. Kagome recognized the beginnings of panic. She tried to tell herself that she was just having dinner with her boss, that nothing would happen, but that didn’t work.
Kōga helped her out of the car like a real gentleman, which only served to increase her nerves. She was well aware that everything wrong lay with her and not him, but that didn’t make her feel any calmer. Smiling at her encouragingly, he urged her to pick whatever she wanted, but she declined. She picked the least sexual movie she could, something about a family of animated bears that was supposed to be for children. If her boss was disappointed, he didn’t show it, and laughed at the lame gags along with the children in the audience, which made Kagome smile as well as question his intelligence. Inuyasha would have been complaining the entire time and his hands would have already been exploring in her panties before the previews were finished. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. All in all, the movie wasn’t too bad, and the environment calmed her down enough so that she didn’t even realize that Kōga put an arm around her shoulders until the credits rolled and he removed it, taking his warmth away with it and making her shiver in the chilly air.
Dinner was fine, with her learning more about him than he about her, which, to be fair, was just what she wanted. He told jokes, both funny and off-the-mark, but he was just so likeable she couldn’t help but keep smiling, her earlier nervousness nowhere to be seen. He told her that both his parents were dead, like hers, and he ran the shop with two of his cousins, Ginta and Hakkaku. All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and Kagome was even looking forward to seeing him at work.
“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you flowers,” he said sincerely, holding open the car door for her after their dinner. “I got too excited and forgot.”
“You didn’t have to!” she said quickly. The entire time, she kept repeating to herself that this was not a real date, this was just them getting to know each other.
Even if he had said she was his dream girl.
Even though real dates were exactly that: just getting to know each other.
Her nervousness returned, much less than before but still undoubtedly present. It only magnified when she fancied she could smell her own body odor from her sweaty pits. Carefully, she tried to sniff the air several times in the least conspicuous way she could, hoping he would think she’d just gotten some sort of spontaneous cold or something and that the smell lingering in the air was just the scent of the restaurant lingering on her. Kagome really wished she had kept the window closed and the Febreze trapped inside.
Kōga hopped in the car, oblivious to her mood. “I promise to bring you flowers every day from now on,” he said, shooting a grin at her.
Kagome smiled back, unsure of what she should do. It was wrong to lead him on, but was that really what she was doing? She did like him, and if she had never known Inuyasha, then hell, she’d probably be pursuing him and not the other way around. But something was just off. She pushed those thoughts and feelings away and smiled at him.
“Thank you for the best time I’ve ever had in this town,” she said, definitely exaggerating. What harm could it do? She was just being nice.
“And thank you for letting me take you out.”
He pulled in front of the apartment complex and her heart began to beat like crazy. Did he expect anything in return for the date? Would she have to kiss him, or do something else? Her mother had always told her men were like that, expecting everything from a woman when they had given only a little bit, but she honestly wasn’t sure. He seemed like an okay guy. Maybe just one little itsy bitsy teeny weeny kiss wouldn’t hurt…
“See you at work tomorrow!” he chirped happily as he opened her car door.
Kagome jumped, she hadn’t even noticed him leaving his seat.
“Uh, yeah. Bye, and thanks again!” she said, quickly recovering herself.
Sango was still in her room and Kagome could hear her snoring. Was it that late? She checked the time on the microwave. After ten.
All that work to distract herself, and Inuyasha had been on her mind every damn minute.
Oo/O
True to his word, Kōga brought her flowers the next morning. She laughed and thanked him, wondering if he would keep it up and actually bring her flowers every day. Kagome sneezed when she inhaled, then sneezed again. And again. Her few co-workers laughed and her face reacted by turning bright red. She had always envied Kikyo her ability to be perfectly cool in any situation. As it was, ever since she could remember, she had always blushed like crazy whenever the slightest thing occurred. Her mother had tried to console her and told her it was maidenly and made her stand out in a good way, but Kagome knew that was a load of bull crap.
Kōga laughed too, but when everybody else went off to work, he stayed behind and watched her fix the vase of flowers next to a register.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he said slowly, grinning at her twice as red face before welcoming the first customers of the day.
“What the hell just happened?” she whispered out loud to herself.
“Excuse me, Miss, do you— Kagome?”
Kagome turned around, recognizing the voice instantly. “Hojo!” she beamed, waving at him awkwardly while wondering why she was doing so. “I thought I’d never see you again after, well, you know… Sorry about that.”
A grimace flitted across his traditionally handsome face before his smile came back. “My friend just told me about this place. I was hoping to find some books for my nieces and nephews. Anything you recommend?”
Even though she had just gotten the job, Kōga had given her a pretty thorough lesson on the available books, telling her that they had staff meetings every morning a new book came in to go over the highlights of the story and how to sell it.
“Yeah! How old are your nieces and nephews?”
“Well, the girls are five and nine and the boys are three, seven, and nine.”
“You’ve got some busy siblings,” she commented as she led him over to the proper section.
He laughed good-naturedly and followed her. “Yeah, they’re both older than me and have been bugging me about settling down for years.”
“You’re still so young, though!” she pointed out as she handed him a book on pirates that would be perfect for the nine-year-olds.
Hojo shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling. “That may be, but I’d have started a family the minute I turned eighteen if I had met the right girl. Age doesn’t dictate when you’re ready for things like that.”
“That’s so sweet!” she crooned. Why couldn’t most guys be like Hojo? Why couldn’t Inuya—
“Do you have anything that’s not dumb?” came a rough voice from behind her, the voice she knew best in the world.
Without turning around, she exhaled loudly and said, “Yes, we do. Pick up any book and see.”
“Don’t you work here? Shouldn’t you be doing your job and showing me?”
Kagome turned around angrily with a sharp retort on her tongue, only to lose her train of thought when she saw the small smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes.
“Sir, I’m already helping a customer. I’m going to have to ask you to find another employee.”
“I’ll wait,” he said with a shrug, appearing casual to any observer, but Kagome knew she had made him angry.
She helped Hojo find the books he wanted and sent him off to the registers with a smile, wondering what Inuyasha was doing at her new job. She found him again a few minutes later, standing exactly where she had left him, his eyes that were the darkest shade of every color staring at her with a very familiar intensity. Suddenly, she was nervous. The last time they had been together, he had ended up rubbing her over her shorts until she came, and she still wasn’t sure if she was totally mad about that or not. Truthfully, she was more angry with herself and how she had relished in having even that little bit of him so close to being inside of her, wishing she could tell Kikyo and rub it in her stupid boyfriend-stealing cold bitch whore slut face. It was appalling how wonderfully dirty it had made her feel, and now she couldn’t trust herself around him.
“What do you want?” she questioned as angrily as she could, hands on her hips.
He smiled at her, reaching out a hand to smooth some errant strands of hair back behind her ear.
“Some books.”
Kagome blinked in surprise. She knew he didn’t know any children, and he had never been particularly fond of them, either, that detail being the one thing that had made her unsure of her future with him. She had always loved children and wanted as many of them as she could possibly have.
“You and Kikyo starting a family?” she said lightly, pretending she did not care.
He rolled his eyes. “You know how I feel about kids. Just show me a few books, Kagome. Show me your favorites.”
Warily, she did so, and soon they were laughing and talking like they used to. Everything was great. And then he left without even touching her again, which made her feel slightly insulted yet also relieved.
She had a feeling working at Kōga’s Kiddie Kodices was going to be quite interesting.
Oo/O
Kōga actually did bring her flowers every day, the elaborate arrangements making her wonder how much they were setting him back and if he could even afford to keep it up. How profitable could a single children’s bookstore be? He asked her to go out with him again every day, but Kagome just smiled and told him she’d rather get to know him at the workplace for a while instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go out with him, she actually sort of did, but she thought it would be best if she just slowed down and adjusted to the way her life was going first.
Hojo was a frequent presence at the store as well, buying one book for each of his nieces and nephews every single day. Kagome had become very comfortable with the nurse again, remembering how kind he was to her in the hospital. She mentioned to him that she was keeping her former condition a secret from her co-workers and employer, and Hojo understood, although she could tell he disapproved. Seeing him was one of the best parts of her day, and she made a mental note to herself to maybe set him up with Sango. He would be just what she needed. Sighing, Kagome wondered where she could find a man like that, wishing she was capable of feeling anything towards the one she already knew.
And then there was Inuyasha. Always showing up, staying for hours, buying only one thing and asking her to “autograph” it for him. When he found out that her boss was the one buying the flowers and that they weren’t decoration but instead a gift of courtship, the arrangements mysteriously started to disappear. Kōga was thrilled, thinking she was taking them home with her, perhaps sleeping with them under her pillow, or gazing at them longingly and sighing, or doing that “he loves me, he loves me not” thing with the petals. Kagome just played along, not telling him she had no idea where they were and she didn’t particularly care since they made her sneeze.
“Dinner,” Inuyasha demanded at the end of a month of daily visitations.
“No,” she replied for what felt like the thousandth time and probably was.
“Please!” he begged, for once dropping the cool, calm, and subtly flirtatious attitude. “It doesn’t have to just be with me. We could have dinner at the Shrine. With Kikyo, even, if you feel uncomfortable. You said you wanted to make up with her, right? Then come to dinner.”
She hesitated. It was true, she wanted her sister back, needed her. Kikyo was her only family left alive. Kagome desperately wanted to ask her about their mother and grandfather, what had happened, how they had lived, how they’d died. Living with Sango was fun and all, but while she didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings by straight up leaving her after she had been so generous and also being reluctant to disrupt Inuyasha and Kikyo’s married life, she missed her old home, missed her old room.
“Come on, Kagome,” he said in a low voice, his hand grasping her shoulder and carefully staying there.
“A-alright,” she said in a half-whisper. “But don’t do anything weird!” she commanded, glaring at him.
Inuyasha broke out in a grin and nodded. “Scout’s honor, babe.”
She rolled her eyes. “Tomorrow? Can it be as soon as that?”
His grin faded and he looked away from her. “It’ll take a lot of convincing, ‘cause Kikyo’s still really mad, but I’ll see. I’ll come by here tomorrow and tell you.”
Kagome nodded and sighed, beginning to feel a smidge of depression creep back into her heart. “Thank you, Inuyasha. You’re a great friend.”
He snorted. “Whatever. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye!”
Kagome watched him leave, hoping he’d follow through and bring her sister back into her life. Without their mother tearing them apart with her obvious, confusing favoritism, who knew? Maybe they’d actually get along this time.
(Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes)
Despite all the big talk of yesterday, Sango had to go back to work at the salon and spa. She had already missed two days without calling in, and her boss was a fearsome Mexican woman armed with Crayola eyebrows, the rough voice of a banshee that had screeched its last scream, and the insults repertoire of a drill sergeant. Kagome had urged Sango to go back to work instead of faking her death, since being spoken sharply to in Spanish would be less expensive in the long run. Plus, Kagome had been wanting to get out on her own and explore the town she had left behind.
What had changed?
What had stayed the same?
A few minutes after Sango had left, Kagome pulled on the clothes she had worn the day before since the ones Inuyasha had purchased had not yet arrived and she didn’t feel right taking things from her friend’s closet without permission. The day was sunny and bright, warm and breezy, just absolutely perfect, the way the weather almost always was. Taking a deep breath, she walked in the direction of what had used to be her main stomping grounds.
Some of the businesses were different, but not all. There were some she had never seen before, which looked interesting, but since she didn’t have any money, she didn’t even want to look. It would just make her feel worse. An interesting-looking building, painted in colorful odd ball murals and little handprints, caught her eye. A children’s bookstore! One of those little places that hardly exist anymore thanks to big bookstores, Wal-Mart, internet shops, and pirating. The sign was in the shape of a cloud and said in big, block lettering “Kōga’s Kiddie Kodices”. The name of the place was weird, and if interpreted the right way it would seem to allude that the “kodices” were made of children, but Kagome went inside anyway, the little girl inside of her absolutely enchanted by the Reading Rainbow fantasy brought to life right in front of her. She felt sick at the thought that she hadn’t experienced a place like this as a child and was suddenly oddly jealous of the tykes around her.
There were tons of kids dragging their parents by the hand, pointing at creative displays of books and demanding them, even if they were out of their age range. It delighted Kagome, who had always been a reader and worried for the literary future of the world’s youth. They had all the classics, an area for used books (trading and buying), and a ton of books she had never even seen before. That wasn’t exactly new, since she had been basically sleeping for six years, but there were just so many. She wished she had money so she could pretend to be buying some books for a relative or something and then just take them home and read them in private, no shame.
“Can I help you?”
The man at her elbow was tanned a deep brown and his eyes were a laughing blue. His black hair completed the picture and something about him reminded her of Errol Flynn, with maybe a dash of Inuyasha, but not enough to make her feel sad or upset.
“Ha, um, no, I’m just looking…” she said nervously. His personality was one of those that project and made everyone notice the person it belonged to. At this point in her life, all that did was make her feel somewhat anxious.
“You new in town?” he asked casually, and without waiting for an answer, launched into his sale man’s spiel. “We’re not just a bookstore, you know. We’re also an independent publishing company. My own books are here as well as some written by my current and former employees. We just turned five this past Friday and business is booming!”
“That’s nice,” she said smilingly, edging away.
“Can I interest you in this story here?” he said, pulling a book from off a nearby shelf and smiling at her winningly. “It’s about a wolf who falls in love with a beautiful princess and wishes to become human. Boys and girls love it. Even I love it. I should, ‘cause I wrote it.”
“That’s okay, I—“
“No? So you’re shopping for an older child, then? We have books to read to babies in the womb all the way to kids up to the age of twelve.”
“No, I just—“
“How about this one? It’s about a group of friends who fight crime in their middle school. It’s got a bunch of goofy villains who all attend the same school, although a couple are teachers. It’s on sale, so—“
“I don’t have any money,” she blurted, her face turning red quicker than ever. The way she had said it made it obvious she didn’t just not have it on her, but none at all. Kagome hadn’t even meant to speak, she just wanted him to stop the sales pitch.
His eyes widened at her burst of frankness and he nodded. “You need money, then, obviously. How old are you?”
“Fif— I mean twenty-one.”
“You ever work before?”
She shook her head.
“You’re hired. What’s your name?”
She stared at him in confusion. What had just happened? “Uh, Kagome? Higurashi.”
He grinned at her and clapped her gently on the back. “Well, Kagome, I’m your boss now, but I don’t want any of that ‘Mister’ or ‘Sir’ crap, okay? Just call me Kōga. Now let me show you what you’ll be doing here.”
Oo/O
Kōga showed her how to work a register and told her that she would hardly ever have to do that, as her duties would mostly consist of helping the customers and reading to the kids during story time. She’d be making a few dollars above minimum wage, nothing fancy but enough so that she could actually pay rent and even start paying for classes at the local community college soon enough. If she stayed an employee in good standing, Kōga mentioned that a raise was very likely. Kagome was absolutely thrilled. This kind of stuff only happened in the movies! He didn’t even ask for any paperwork or anything other than the tax form, and paid her a week in advance.
As he was handing her the check, he snatched it back quickly, his eyes dancing playfully. “I don’t do this for just anyone, Kagome Higurashi. I like you. I don’t like a lot of people.”
“I like you too!” she said sincerely, smiling at him. She really did. He was giving her money and a job at a fun place, what wasn’t to like?
His smile widened and he placed the thin piece of paper worth so much in her open palm. She wondered if her old bank account was still open. The last time she’d checked, which had been the day of her accident, she’d had only seventeen dollars to her name after spending everything on the perfect dress, the one she’d worn for about three minutes.
“Great! So I’ll pick you up around seven, then?”
“For what?” Did he want her to work the night shift? Did a children’s bookstore have a night shift? Was this place a front for the mob?
“I’d like to get to know you better,” he drawled, leaning back in his big bossy boss man chair grandly. “I’ve invested in you, so it’s only natural. You like movies?”
Kagome nodded. Free money (well, not totally free since she’d be working for it the entire week) and a free dinner and a free show. She could go for that.
“I live in the apartments on Baker, right by the freeway,” she said brightly, beginning to feel giddy.
“Great! I’ll be there at seven sharp.”
Oo/O
When Kagome told Sango she had a job and a date with her new boss, she did not expect her friend to burst into tears. Bemused, she patted her back as she bawled on the couch, her mascara painting her cheeks and neck.
“It’s not fair!” Sango wailed, stomping one foot childishly. “You get a yummy man boss and lover your first day outside and that fucking chola is making me wax the vag of every fat bitch who comes into the salon for at least another week! And I haven’t been with a guy since last month!”
Kagome tried to think of something consoling to say, but Sango’s life did sound pretty bad right now.
“Uh, Sango?”
“Yeah?” her friend sniffled, turning her watery brown eyes on her.
“Um, you’ve had sex.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I just…” Kagome said nervously, her hands fumbling with each other in her lap. “I never did—that.”
Sango laughed and wiped at the now dry, caked on mascara, accomplishing nothing but further smearing it. “I know, dummy. You’re not so hot that you were reeling in the men even when unconscious. Are you worried about your big date?”
She nodded. “Not like I’m just gonna let it happen with him,” she stated quickly, “but I think it would be good to just, I don’t know, maybe know a little bit about it.” If what Inuyasha had done to her with just a few fingers was any indication, sex was fucking amazing.
Her friend nodded sagely, most likely remembering that Kagome’s mother had not allowed her to take Sex Ed. “You just want to know what to expect, right?”
“Yep.”
“How far did you get with Inuyasha?”
Kagome blushed under Sango’s curious, concentrated gaze. She had stopped being close friends with pretty much everybody but Inuyasha the moment they began to go out. She hated to admit it, but he had been her whole world, and without him everything had just seemed so boring. Sango and she had continued to talk and hang out, but they were distant, and had never spoken in depth about her relationship.
“We, uh,” Kagome started lamely, not wanting to tell Sango about his wandering hands in the restaurant, “pretty much just kissed. A lot. I would let him touch me sometimes. Mostly over my clothes, a couple times under.”
“Pfft, that’s nothing,” Sango said dismissively. “I am going to corrupt you for your own good, my little angel.”
Confused, Kagome’s eyes followed her friend’s trip around the room, where she grabbed her hot pink laptop and excitedly jumped back onto the couch.
“Welcome to the world of porn, Kagasaurus!” Sango said dramatically while typing a website into the address bar.
“N-no!” Kagome cried out in shock. “That’s disgusting!”
The other woman merely raised a brow. “Why?”
“That’s— That’s for boys who just, wh-who can’t— It’s not right!” she stammered, her face flushing.
“Just sit back and watch.”
Kagome would have bolted, but the sounds coming from the computer in her friend’s lap made her stay. It was just so loud and wet. Kissing had never been like that with her and Inuyasha! Why was the woman moaning that way? So loud and almost violently. The guy was hardly touching her. And the breathing sounded just so wrong.
“This one’s my favorite,” Sango whispered like a little girl, her eyes lit up with a fire Kagome had never seen before.
Another man came in, dressed in some type of worker’s uniform; they never bothered to clarify his profession. Abruptly, he began to kiss the man and Kagome’s eyes went wide.
“W-wow,” she squeaked. The sight of two men kissing was doing something not entirely pleasant or unpleasant to her insides.
“Bi porn is my total fave, but only if the dudes really get into it.”
Kagome nodded, watching the men allow the woman to undress them. Neither were wearing undergarments, and both were frightfully erect. Once they were completely free of their clothes and the woman took her skimpy dress off, she knelt and they began to poke her face with their penises. The woman’s eyes closed in ecstasy and she groaned yet again.
“Why are they doing that?” Kagome asked, concerned.
Was this all normal? It looked weird and uncomfortable and awkward. They began to lightly slap her face with their cocks, and Kagome felt like laughing. How would anyone in their right mind consider this to be arousing? It was the most off-putting thing she had ever seen and she wanted to enter a convent.
“Here’s the good part!” Sango squealed.
The woman hocked one on the first man’s dick and then the other and the men just put their heads back and moaned, stroking themselves. Kagome began to feel sick, which only intensified when the second man knelt and leaned over the first, who was now laying prone on the ground, and spread himself apart to reveal a hole she knew was much, much, much larger than normal and absolutely frightful looking. The woman produced a long strand of spit and let it hang in the air for a moment before she let it release onto the reclining man’s penis. The standing man stood over his companion, teasing the tip of the other man’s cock with his bottom before fully sinking down onto it. The woman squatted above the first man’s face and immediately began to almost scream in what Kagome supposed was meant to sound like pleasure.
“What is going on?” she whispered in horror.
Ignoring her, Sango continued to watch, fascinated, as the prematurely aged people on the screen gyrated together until they reached completion. Finally, it was over.
“Um, I think you’re gonna have to get ready for your date on your own. I’ll just uh, be in my room. I don’t feel well. Yeah, I’m gonna go in my room and brush my teeth for a while…”
Sango ended up “brushing her teeth” with her electric toothbrush in her bedroom with the lights off and the door locked for fifteen minutes while Kagome tried and failed to get her eyeliner looking right, eventually giving up and smudging most of it away, which ended up looking pretty good. Not bothering to change since it was just going to be a casual thing, she waited outside without saying goodbye to her roommate, not knowing whether she’d be able to look her in the eye ever again.
Walking to just in front of the closed gate that sheltered the tiny apartments from whatever pathetic thief would try and rob the shabby-looking units, Kagome impatiently tapped her foot and waited for her boss, early but somewhat reluctant now that Sango had introduced her to the wonderful world of porn. Fifteen minutes before the agreed upon time, Kōga arrived in a dusty pick-up, windows down, speakers blaring a catchy tune she would have to look up later.
“Your carriage awaits, princess!” the dark-haired man said with a wide smile, showing far too many perfectly straight, white teeth. He jumped out, and before she could touch the door handle, he had it open for her.
“Heh, thanks!” she laughed nervously. Kagome was really, really, really hoping he wasn’t going to expect her to do anything like what she had seen in that video. Just thinking about it made her nauseous.
The car’s interior smelled like he had dumped an entire container of Febreze in it. Either he was just as nervous as she was or he was an avid weed smoker and not sure of her beliefs. Whatever the case, she rolled the window down the slightest bit, hoping he wouldn’t notice and start asking her if something was wrong, which would inevitably lead to her spitting on his dick. Why had she thought this was a good idea again?
“So, when’d you move here?”
“Uh, just a few weeks ago. Still getting settled.” Kagome was torn between being honest with Kōga and the fear that if he knew she had been knocked out for years he would fire her. While she was definitely planning on telling him in the future, she wanted to let him get to know her a little first before she dropped that info bomb.
“Cool. Yeah, I moved into the area about the time I opened the shop. I saw you walking around outside looking a bit lost, and if you hadn’t come in I would have abandoned my post just to get your number,” he said with a flirtatious smirk.
“Ha, no,” she said uneasily, calling herself every name in the book as she did so. Why was this suddenly so difficult? Damn Sango.
“No, I mean it!” he said urgently, his brows almost coming together in his eagerness for her to believe him. “You’re my dream woman. I wanted to take you out and be with you as much as possible the moment I saw you.”
“You’re such a flirt,” she replied, trying to brush it off. Kagome liked the attention and she liked Kōga, but wasn’t exactly sure the two combined were very good for her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves while reminding herself that he was her boss and the food was going to be free, Kagome said, “In any case, I’m very glad I met you, Kōga. What do you have planned for tonight?”
He stopped sweating and grinned. “First off, a movie. You pick, I don’t care much what we see. What I’m looking forward to is the dinner. You can pick the place and then we can talk, get to know each other.”
“Alrighty. How about we go see one at that theater by the lake?” She wanted to slap herself as soon as she said it. Inuyasha had always taken her to that specific theater, and afterwards they’d make out in the gazebo overlooking the small, man-made body of water. Kagome hoped it no longer existed, but then again that would just seem weird since she had apparently just moved to town and knew about a theater that had possibly been torn down years ago.
“That one’s my favorite!” he said, and off they went.
Conversation stopped completely, and it was the most agonizing experience of her young life. She couldn’t stop thinking about the porno, and the more she thought about it, the faster her heart beat, and not in a good way. Kagome recognized the beginnings of panic. She tried to tell herself that she was just having dinner with her boss, that nothing would happen, but that didn’t work.
Kōga helped her out of the car like a real gentleman, which only served to increase her nerves. She was well aware that everything wrong lay with her and not him, but that didn’t make her feel any calmer. Smiling at her encouragingly, he urged her to pick whatever she wanted, but she declined. She picked the least sexual movie she could, something about a family of animated bears that was supposed to be for children. If her boss was disappointed, he didn’t show it, and laughed at the lame gags along with the children in the audience, which made Kagome smile as well as question his intelligence. Inuyasha would have been complaining the entire time and his hands would have already been exploring in her panties before the previews were finished. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. All in all, the movie wasn’t too bad, and the environment calmed her down enough so that she didn’t even realize that Kōga put an arm around her shoulders until the credits rolled and he removed it, taking his warmth away with it and making her shiver in the chilly air.
Dinner was fine, with her learning more about him than he about her, which, to be fair, was just what she wanted. He told jokes, both funny and off-the-mark, but he was just so likeable she couldn’t help but keep smiling, her earlier nervousness nowhere to be seen. He told her that both his parents were dead, like hers, and he ran the shop with two of his cousins, Ginta and Hakkaku. All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and Kagome was even looking forward to seeing him at work.
“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you flowers,” he said sincerely, holding open the car door for her after their dinner. “I got too excited and forgot.”
“You didn’t have to!” she said quickly. The entire time, she kept repeating to herself that this was not a real date, this was just them getting to know each other.
Even if he had said she was his dream girl.
Even though real dates were exactly that: just getting to know each other.
Her nervousness returned, much less than before but still undoubtedly present. It only magnified when she fancied she could smell her own body odor from her sweaty pits. Carefully, she tried to sniff the air several times in the least conspicuous way she could, hoping he would think she’d just gotten some sort of spontaneous cold or something and that the smell lingering in the air was just the scent of the restaurant lingering on her. Kagome really wished she had kept the window closed and the Febreze trapped inside.
Kōga hopped in the car, oblivious to her mood. “I promise to bring you flowers every day from now on,” he said, shooting a grin at her.
Kagome smiled back, unsure of what she should do. It was wrong to lead him on, but was that really what she was doing? She did like him, and if she had never known Inuyasha, then hell, she’d probably be pursuing him and not the other way around. But something was just off. She pushed those thoughts and feelings away and smiled at him.
“Thank you for the best time I’ve ever had in this town,” she said, definitely exaggerating. What harm could it do? She was just being nice.
“And thank you for letting me take you out.”
He pulled in front of the apartment complex and her heart began to beat like crazy. Did he expect anything in return for the date? Would she have to kiss him, or do something else? Her mother had always told her men were like that, expecting everything from a woman when they had given only a little bit, but she honestly wasn’t sure. He seemed like an okay guy. Maybe just one little itsy bitsy teeny weeny kiss wouldn’t hurt…
“See you at work tomorrow!” he chirped happily as he opened her car door.
Kagome jumped, she hadn’t even noticed him leaving his seat.
“Uh, yeah. Bye, and thanks again!” she said, quickly recovering herself.
Sango was still in her room and Kagome could hear her snoring. Was it that late? She checked the time on the microwave. After ten.
All that work to distract herself, and Inuyasha had been on her mind every damn minute.
Oo/O
True to his word, Kōga brought her flowers the next morning. She laughed and thanked him, wondering if he would keep it up and actually bring her flowers every day. Kagome sneezed when she inhaled, then sneezed again. And again. Her few co-workers laughed and her face reacted by turning bright red. She had always envied Kikyo her ability to be perfectly cool in any situation. As it was, ever since she could remember, she had always blushed like crazy whenever the slightest thing occurred. Her mother had tried to console her and told her it was maidenly and made her stand out in a good way, but Kagome knew that was a load of bull crap.
Kōga laughed too, but when everybody else went off to work, he stayed behind and watched her fix the vase of flowers next to a register.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he said slowly, grinning at her twice as red face before welcoming the first customers of the day.
“What the hell just happened?” she whispered out loud to herself.
“Excuse me, Miss, do you— Kagome?”
Kagome turned around, recognizing the voice instantly. “Hojo!” she beamed, waving at him awkwardly while wondering why she was doing so. “I thought I’d never see you again after, well, you know… Sorry about that.”
A grimace flitted across his traditionally handsome face before his smile came back. “My friend just told me about this place. I was hoping to find some books for my nieces and nephews. Anything you recommend?”
Even though she had just gotten the job, Kōga had given her a pretty thorough lesson on the available books, telling her that they had staff meetings every morning a new book came in to go over the highlights of the story and how to sell it.
“Yeah! How old are your nieces and nephews?”
“Well, the girls are five and nine and the boys are three, seven, and nine.”
“You’ve got some busy siblings,” she commented as she led him over to the proper section.
He laughed good-naturedly and followed her. “Yeah, they’re both older than me and have been bugging me about settling down for years.”
“You’re still so young, though!” she pointed out as she handed him a book on pirates that would be perfect for the nine-year-olds.
Hojo shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling. “That may be, but I’d have started a family the minute I turned eighteen if I had met the right girl. Age doesn’t dictate when you’re ready for things like that.”
“That’s so sweet!” she crooned. Why couldn’t most guys be like Hojo? Why couldn’t Inuya—
“Do you have anything that’s not dumb?” came a rough voice from behind her, the voice she knew best in the world.
Without turning around, she exhaled loudly and said, “Yes, we do. Pick up any book and see.”
“Don’t you work here? Shouldn’t you be doing your job and showing me?”
Kagome turned around angrily with a sharp retort on her tongue, only to lose her train of thought when she saw the small smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes.
“Sir, I’m already helping a customer. I’m going to have to ask you to find another employee.”
“I’ll wait,” he said with a shrug, appearing casual to any observer, but Kagome knew she had made him angry.
She helped Hojo find the books he wanted and sent him off to the registers with a smile, wondering what Inuyasha was doing at her new job. She found him again a few minutes later, standing exactly where she had left him, his eyes that were the darkest shade of every color staring at her with a very familiar intensity. Suddenly, she was nervous. The last time they had been together, he had ended up rubbing her over her shorts until she came, and she still wasn’t sure if she was totally mad about that or not. Truthfully, she was more angry with herself and how she had relished in having even that little bit of him so close to being inside of her, wishing she could tell Kikyo and rub it in her stupid boyfriend-stealing cold bitch whore slut face. It was appalling how wonderfully dirty it had made her feel, and now she couldn’t trust herself around him.
“What do you want?” she questioned as angrily as she could, hands on her hips.
He smiled at her, reaching out a hand to smooth some errant strands of hair back behind her ear.
“Some books.”
Kagome blinked in surprise. She knew he didn’t know any children, and he had never been particularly fond of them, either, that detail being the one thing that had made her unsure of her future with him. She had always loved children and wanted as many of them as she could possibly have.
“You and Kikyo starting a family?” she said lightly, pretending she did not care.
He rolled his eyes. “You know how I feel about kids. Just show me a few books, Kagome. Show me your favorites.”
Warily, she did so, and soon they were laughing and talking like they used to. Everything was great. And then he left without even touching her again, which made her feel slightly insulted yet also relieved.
She had a feeling working at Kōga’s Kiddie Kodices was going to be quite interesting.
Oo/O
Kōga actually did bring her flowers every day, the elaborate arrangements making her wonder how much they were setting him back and if he could even afford to keep it up. How profitable could a single children’s bookstore be? He asked her to go out with him again every day, but Kagome just smiled and told him she’d rather get to know him at the workplace for a while instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go out with him, she actually sort of did, but she thought it would be best if she just slowed down and adjusted to the way her life was going first.
Hojo was a frequent presence at the store as well, buying one book for each of his nieces and nephews every single day. Kagome had become very comfortable with the nurse again, remembering how kind he was to her in the hospital. She mentioned to him that she was keeping her former condition a secret from her co-workers and employer, and Hojo understood, although she could tell he disapproved. Seeing him was one of the best parts of her day, and she made a mental note to herself to maybe set him up with Sango. He would be just what she needed. Sighing, Kagome wondered where she could find a man like that, wishing she was capable of feeling anything towards the one she already knew.
And then there was Inuyasha. Always showing up, staying for hours, buying only one thing and asking her to “autograph” it for him. When he found out that her boss was the one buying the flowers and that they weren’t decoration but instead a gift of courtship, the arrangements mysteriously started to disappear. Kōga was thrilled, thinking she was taking them home with her, perhaps sleeping with them under her pillow, or gazing at them longingly and sighing, or doing that “he loves me, he loves me not” thing with the petals. Kagome just played along, not telling him she had no idea where they were and she didn’t particularly care since they made her sneeze.
“Dinner,” Inuyasha demanded at the end of a month of daily visitations.
“No,” she replied for what felt like the thousandth time and probably was.
“Please!” he begged, for once dropping the cool, calm, and subtly flirtatious attitude. “It doesn’t have to just be with me. We could have dinner at the Shrine. With Kikyo, even, if you feel uncomfortable. You said you wanted to make up with her, right? Then come to dinner.”
She hesitated. It was true, she wanted her sister back, needed her. Kikyo was her only family left alive. Kagome desperately wanted to ask her about their mother and grandfather, what had happened, how they had lived, how they’d died. Living with Sango was fun and all, but while she didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings by straight up leaving her after she had been so generous and also being reluctant to disrupt Inuyasha and Kikyo’s married life, she missed her old home, missed her old room.
“Come on, Kagome,” he said in a low voice, his hand grasping her shoulder and carefully staying there.
“A-alright,” she said in a half-whisper. “But don’t do anything weird!” she commanded, glaring at him.
Inuyasha broke out in a grin and nodded. “Scout’s honor, babe.”
She rolled her eyes. “Tomorrow? Can it be as soon as that?”
His grin faded and he looked away from her. “It’ll take a lot of convincing, ‘cause Kikyo’s still really mad, but I’ll see. I’ll come by here tomorrow and tell you.”
Kagome nodded and sighed, beginning to feel a smidge of depression creep back into her heart. “Thank you, Inuyasha. You’re a great friend.”
He snorted. “Whatever. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye!”
Kagome watched him leave, hoping he’d follow through and bring her sister back into her life. Without their mother tearing them apart with her obvious, confusing favoritism, who knew? Maybe they’d actually get along this time.