Cookie Flavored Romance by Sakura Dragon

Revelations And Heartaches

I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I also don't own the three songs menstioned in this chapter. More on those at the end.

My prompt this time was 'inversion' and I managed to sneakily insert in into the chapter. The theme was 'trauma'. I'm not sure I used it right, but we'll see.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

------------------------------

   They call her Kagome, he calls her Trouble. And today of all days, Inuyasha was going to find out just how much trouble he could get into around her.

   The white dog ears on top of his head twitched as he leaned his elbows on the table, eating a plate of cookies and watching Kagome pack cupcakes into the custom travel boxes with the shop’s logo on the side. The boxes could hold 48 cupcakes stacked in three tiers and arranged in special partitions that prevented them from sliding and squashing against each other.

   Kagome was using a large pair of tongs to gently place each cupcake in its partition. Several other boxes were stacked around the table. Some also had cookies and others held the clear plastic containers with smaller versions of their cupcakes that Kagome was going to give out as samples.

   She had been asked, along with other small companies in the food industry, to provide catering for a business conference. It was a great opportunity to show off her products and try to get new clients. She was very nervous and excited about it.

   ‘So you need me on Saturday morning,’ Inuyasha said, with his mouth full.

   ‘Yes. We need to be there by noon.’

   ‘And where are we delivering this order exactly?’

   ‘I can’t remember the address right now but it’s on the card. The order is for a little girl’s birthday party.’

   ‘You said that already. Her father placed it.’

   ‘No. I was her grandfather. Mr. Touga Taisho.’

   Inuyasha choked on his cookie and turned blue at the name. Kagome dropped the tongs and rushed over to help him.

   ‘WHO?!?’ Inuyasha managed to croak when he got his breath back. He was fine but his throat was raw and he was still coughing.

   ‘Mr. Taisho,’ Kagome repeated, rubbing his back soothingly. ‘Why? Do you know him?’

   Inuyasha turned red and mumbled something inaudible.

   ‘What was that?’

   ‘I said he’s my father,’ he answered, knowing that there was no getting out of it.

   Kagome’s hand on his back froze and he felt her anger rising.

   ‘Your father?’ she asked coldly, moving away from him.

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Your father?’

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Your father,’ she repeated disbelievingly, seemingly in a daze.

   ‘Stop saying that,’ he growled angrily. ‘You should have known.’

   ‘How was I supposed to know he was your father?’

   ‘You weren’t because you’ve never met him,’ Inuyasha quipped, contradicting himself and only seeming to realize his words after they had already left his mouth.

   ‘And whose fault is that, exactly?’ she asked, turning on him fiercely.

   Inuyasha looked pleadingly at Bankotsu, begging him for help. The decorator, who knew enough of their tempers and valued his job and limbs to much to take sides in their argument, was pretending to be deaf at the other end of the table. The hanyou was on his own and had dug himself into a pretty deep hole already. It could only get worse from here and that made him even angrier.

   ‘Mine, okay. It’s my fault,’ he ground out remorsefully.

   Kagome turned her head away from him and continued filling the box in silence. That made him even more worried. She only stopped yelling at him when he’d done something to really hurt her.

   ‘Ten years, Inuyasha,’ she finally said and Inuyasha’s ears flattened against his skull at the bitterness in her tone. She still wouldn’t turn around to face him. ‘We’ve been friends ten years and you’ve never let me meet your family. You talk about them all the time but I’ve never even seen a photo before, except of your mother. And that only because I went through your wallet once. Why can’t I meet them?’

   Inuyasha didn’t have an answer. They’d walked down this road before and he’d never had an answer. When he thought about it, ‘because I don’t want you too’ was the best reason he’d come up with but somehow he didn’t think it would be enough. He really couldn’t explain why he wanted to separate her from those that made his life very complicated.

   The reason Kagome hadn’t made a connection between him and his father was because they didn’t share the same last name. His parents weren’t married because his father was still mated to a demoness named Kimiko, the mother of Inuyasha’s older half-brother. All five of them lived together in the same house, although a very large one and it wasn’t the best atmosphere. Somehow he had never wanted his sweet little friend caught in the middle of all that.

   Kagome saved him the trouble of answering.

   ‘Well, it doesn’t matter anyway,’ she smiled. ‘I’ve already met your father and Saturday I’ll probably meet the others as well. So let’s not fight about it anymore. I’m done here. Let’s get these boxes to the car and get going. It’s already late.’

   Now that the argument was over, nervousness began radiating off her in palpable waves again. She closed the box and put it with the others. They began carrying all of them to Inuyasha’s car, which was parked in the alley behind the shop. Bankotsu gave them a hand and they were soon ready to go. While Inuyasha was securing the boxes in the trunk, Kagome went back into the kitchen for her purse and a stack of business cards.

   ‘When will you be back?’ Bankotsu asked.

   ‘We’ll have to stay there until the conference ends at five but after that I’ll be home as soon as traffic will allow.’

   ‘Have a good time, boss.’

   She rolled her eyes at him and smiled. He only called her that when she left to take care of deliveries. She could let Inuyasha do it alone, but besides being a very reckless driver, he also tended to get impossibly lost and call her for directions every five minutes. It also didn’t hurt for customers to see her get personally involved with every aspect of her business.

   ‘Call me if anything happens,’ she told Bankotsu from the door, emphasizing the word anything. It wouldn’t be the first time when she returned blissfully unawares only to find a disaster. Exploded bags of flour, a flood that had resulted from a combination of burnt cookies and a sensitive sprinkler system or a gas leak that had forced them to evacuate the shop and call the fire department were just a few of the situations that had come up during her absences.

   As Inuyasha drove slowly through the traffic to the conference hall, Kagome fiddled with the radio, surfing channels almost absentmindedly.

   ‘… and reports show that pollution in the area is causing thermal inversion…’

   ‘… you were always on my mind…’

   ‘… the royal couple is expected to make an appearance at…’

   ‘… sekai wa hiroi to kiita no sa…’

   ‘… soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder…’

   ‘… yume de aimashyou… ‘

   ‘… and now for the sports news…’

   ‘Will you pick a station already, woman,’ Inuyasha snapped. ‘Your fidgeting is irritating me.’

   Kagome glared at him but chose a station that was detailing an upcoming exhibition at the Tokyo Edo Jidai Museum. The rest of the drive was silent. As they pulled up at the back of the conference hall, a security guard in a blue uniform and white gloves approached to inquire their business. When Kagome explained and showed him the necessary credentials, he guided them inside and passed them over to one of the organizers, a young pretty bat hanyou with white hair and lavender eyes named Shiori. She showed them where to set up and found someone to help them with the boxes. They had a stand in one corner of the huge cafeteria lined with white tables. Along the walls were ranged twenty or so other stands that were filled up with products provided by the other caterers. Some had provided desserts like themselves, others traditional Japanese packed lunches, dairy products, fresh vegetables, meat or pickles.

   ‘Wow. These look delicious,’ Shiori said as she watched Kagome arrange the cupcakes and cookies on platters.

   ‘Have one,’ Kagome invited and after a little more pressing, the girl took a chocolate cookie with candied cherries. A crowd of organizers had gathered around their table to admire the confections and take business cards that Kagome had provided and placed in a cupcake-shaped ceramic jar.

   ‘She was pretty, wasn’t she?’ Kagome said when they were alone again.

   ‘Who was?’ Inuyasha asked, trying to feign innocence.

   ‘Shiori.’

   ‘Keh… I didn’t notice,’ he said, turning his head away in a vain attempt to hide his blush.

   ‘Sure you didn’t. I saw the way you couldn’t stop looking at her.’

   He grumbled something, still looking at the ground, but Kagome didn’t make any comment. Her attention had been caught by something else.

   The first presentation was over and the participants were flowing into the room for the lunch break. Among them, Kagome recognized the man she had met at the club. He was wearing an excellently tailored black suit and his hair was tied at the nape of his neck. His marks stood out boldly against his skin and he had an ethereal glow around his as he walked into the room with the grace of a cat. She felt he didn’t belong in the crowd of loud businessmen any more than a swan belonged in a flock of geese.

   Her breath hitched, something inside her began to tingle and her heart rate increased. She felt Inuyasha tense beside her and wondered what made him uncomfortable. She kept the man in sight as he walked around the room. He had a stern look and seemed displeased by everything he saw.

   Finally he headed in their direction. Kagome’s heart was trying to bang its way out of her chest. Beside her, her hanyou friend was so rigid that she was sure he’d topple over if she prodded him. The tall demon didn’t show the least flicker of recognition as he approached. He studied the display for a few minutes before he finally addressed her.

   ‘I believe that you are the ‘charming young lady’ that my father employed to provide cupcakes for my daughter’s party on Saturday.’

   His voice was like silk, and the only thing that was preventing Kagome from melting into a puddle at the sound of it were his actual words and the icy tone in which he spoke them. Her mind was feverishly working to understand who he was. The mention of ‘Saturday’ and ‘party’ brought back to mind her earlier argument with Inuyasha and she understood why he was so tense. Standing before them in all his 6’2” glory was her friend’s half-brother, Sesshoumaru.

   ‘Yes. It seems so, Mr. Taisho,’ she told him, trying to sound cheerful and formal.

   ‘Hn,’ was his only answer. He was clearly displeased by his father’s actions.

   ‘If it’s inconvenient, you can cancel the order. I don’t want to be a bother,’ she said demurely, lowering her head in apology and missing the flash of emotion in his amber eyes.

   ‘No,’ he answered. ‘I find your confections acceptable. My mother recommended your products. I believe that she has excellent tastes and judgment.’

   The way in which he said the last part made it very clear that he did not believe the same of his father’s taste and judgment. She felt Inuyasha’s anger starting to rise at this insult to his mother as well as their common parent and she had to step on his foot to restrain him. Kagome was bristling herself from what he had said about her products. Acceptable? How dare he? He may be hot and an excellent kisser, but he was a complete jerk.

   However he was also a customer and she had to be friendly. She bit back the nasty remark she died to say and was thinking of a nice thing to say when a woman came to their table and accosted Sesshoumaru. She had black hair in an elaborate knot at the top of her head, crimson eyes and was wearing a very revealing business suit.

   ‘Why are you wasting your time with these inconsequential people, Sesshoumaru?’ she asked with evident contempt, her voice grating on Kagome’s nerves even more than her words. ‘I thought cupcakes would be too trivial for you.’

   ‘You will address me properly, Kagura. If you must know, my mother recommended this shop,’ he said, effectively shutting the woman up. ‘I myself enjoy their confections and am interested to do business with them. The owner might have better taste in friends, but that is no indication as to the quality of their products.’

   Kagome didn’t have time to wrap her mind around his words before he bought six matcha cupcakes, took a box of samples and a card and was gone, disappearing in the crowd of business suits.  As she had to take care of the other customers, she didn’t have time to analyze his conduct. Everyone wanted to talk to her about her flavours, her baking process, secret ingredients or other small details relating to her business. She gave out cards and samples with a smile and actually got three orders for cupcakes and promises for several more.

   When the lunch break was over, everyone filed out of the room to go to the next presentation and Kagome was left to think over what had happened with Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha was uncharacteristically silent for once as he sensed her emotions rapidly passing from one to another. Bemusement turned to anger, then sadness, then pride, anger again, then a tinge of something that was turning the fur on his ears pink, followed shortly by more anger, sadness, a glimmer of happiness and so on. Kagome was the most emotionally unstable person he knew.

   Soon, all other emotions were overpowered by her enormous curiosity and he prepared for the barrage of questions he knew was coming.

   ‘You never told me your brother had children.’

   ‘Half-brother,’ he corrected her. ‘And he doesn’t. The kid’s adopted. I don’ think the prick ever had a girlfriend.’

   ‘Adopted?’

   ‘Yeah. She’s human. I don’t know where he found her but he came home with her one day and said she was staying with us. The old man is crazy about her and so are the other two. It’s the only thing they ever agree upon.’

   The other two were his mother and Sesshoumaru’s mother.

   ‘But I think she’s annoying,’ he finished and Kagome smiled, knowing that despite his words, he might actually like the little girl. He’d called her annoying all the time and here they were still friends.

   ‘What about the woman that was with him earlier? Is she his girlfriend or business partner?’

   ‘Keh, neither. She wishes she was both but I don’t think that the jerk likes her at all. As far as business goes, she tried to become his partner, but father put a stop to it. Apparently she’s no good to work with. Three of the companies she ‘helped’ went bankrupt when she was done with them.’

   ‘How come you know so much about that? I thought your dad only kept you around as a tester for their software?’

   ‘He still has hopes that I’ll accept a position in management so he tells me all about it. But I’d rather eat dirt than wear a suit and work with those two in an office.’

   ‘I don’t know,’ she said jokingly. ‘I ate dirt as a kid and it wasn’t that bad.’

   ‘Whatever. I’m not office material. Besides, who’d drive you around if I was stuck at work all day?’

   ‘You’ve got a point there. But I could always hire Kouga. He doesn’t get lost like you do and I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help.’

   ‘Don’t you dare mention that stinking wolf,’ he bristled.

   ‘Chill, Inuyasha. I was just kidding. But I can’t believe Sesshoumaru said that our confections ‘are acceptable’. I want to strangle him.’

   ‘Don’t listen to what he says. The jerk has a stick up his butt. I think that’s the highest praise I ever heard him say about anything in my life. What’s important is the fact that he bought some cupcakes. He never buys anything that he thinks of as inferior.’

   ‘If you say so,’ Kagome frowned. She was too confused by everything that had happened to argue.

   They continued their playful banter until the conference ended and they talked again to some of the customers who came to get more cupcakes. When everyone had gone, they packed up, left the remaining sweets for the organizers to enjoy and, thanking everyone, went to Inuyasha’s car.

   It had started raining and the road was unusually crowded as Inuyasha drove her home. The folded boxes would remain in his car until she needed them again.

   The rain was pouring down even harder by the time he dropped her off in the alley at the back of the café. She walked quickly thorough the alley to the door and began fishing in her purse for the keys. Something caught her eye and she saw a bushy sandy tail poking out from an overturned box. The pelting rain was making it hard for her to focus. She finally found the keys, unlocked the door and walked into the kitchen shaking out her wet hair. She put her purse down on the table distractedly and said hello to Bankotsu.

   ‘How was the conference?’ he asked, looking up from his decorating.

   ‘It was great. We gave out all the business cards and samples and got three orders for next week,’ she answered absently, her mind still on the little creature outside. ‘Can you hold on a minute?’

   ‘Is something wrong?’

   ‘I’m not sure. I just have to check something.’

   She went back outside and headed for the discarded box. Kagome had a kind nature and didn’t want to leave the poor, lost creature out in the rain.

   ‘Hello there,’ she said softly, crouching down in front of the twitching tail.

   The owner of the tail jumped and she was surprised to see that it wasn’t an animal, but a little boy who was turning anxious emerald eyes on her.

   ‘I’m not going to hurt you,’ she continued soothingly. ‘Do you want to come in from the rain?’

   Instead of an answer, the boy jumped into her arms and began crying, burying his head in her jacket. She almost squealed when his wet and cold nose pressed against her neck. Kagome’s heart clenched when she saw how thin and dirty he looked. She carried him inside and upstairs, mouthing an ‘I’ll tell you about it later’ to Bankotsu as she passed by.

   He looked so tiny in her arms but Kagome thought he was about seven years old and wasn’t worried about his overall size. One of the culture lessons her grandfather had insisted on giving her was about youkai and she had learned that kitsune kits (which the little guy was) remained a small size for a long time. When they hit puberty they underwent a rapid growth spurt, sometimes becoming even three times as tall as before in a matter of a few weeks.

   What worried her was how underfed and frightened he looked. She convinced him to get out of his wet rags and into a hot shower while she rummaged in the attic for some of Kohaku’s old clothes. When Sango had sold their old house, she had moved all of their things to the new home so that the attic was cramped with boxes of books, photo albums, toys and clothing. After some digging Kagome found an uwagi and hakama that dated from when Kohaku had first started to train in martial arts. These looked like they’d fit boy’s small form.

   When she returned to her bedroom, he was lying on the floor, wrapped in a large towel and teasing Kirara with a ball of string. He tensed and jumped up as she entered, but relaxed when it became apparent that she wasn’t going to hurt him.

   Kagome helped him into the clothes, having a little trouble with his tail. Her heart sank as she saw the scratches and colourful bruises on his arms and body. She then took him into the kitchen where she sat him on a chair and gave him some riceballs and a glass of milk. He pounced on the food as if he hadn’t eaten anything in days, which was probably true. She actually had to tell him to slow down, fearing that he’d burst from eating too much.

   ‘So, you never told me your name,’ she said as she combed his reddish hair.

   ‘It’s Shippou,’ the boy said and Kagome smiled. Whatever his condition was now, someone had obviously treasured him.

   ‘Why were you in that alley?’

   He stiffened and swallowed hard, but he answered her.

   ‘I ran away.’

   ‘Won’t your parents worry about you?’

   ‘They can’t worry anymore,’ he answered sadly. ‘My mom died a long time ago and father went to join her this spring. I don’t have any other relatives.’

   ‘Who have you been living with?’ Kagome asked, running her hands through his hair soothingly.

   ‘I lived in an orphanage for a while. It wasn’t great, but the lady there was kind and I liked her. Then a month ago I got adopted.’

   Kagome felt the waves of fear and worry that started to radiate off him. She wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how.

   ‘What happened then?’ she asked reluctantly.

   ‘I didn’t like it at all. They had other youkai children as well. It was awful. They beat us and gave us very little food. We had to sleep in a little crowded room and do a lot of chores. They weren’t nice people and they would yell at us for anything. I was picked on because I’m so small. They didn’t let any of us go to school or outside to play and they kept us locked up in the house. Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore and I ran away.’

   ‘When was that?’

   ‘Four days ago, I think,’ he said, counting on his fingers. ‘Anyway, I lived on the street and ate what I could find. People kept turning me away from their back doors. The weather isn’t so cold yet and I was fine until it started to rain. I hid in a box in that alley and there you found me. I really don’t want to go back to that place.’

   He looked up at her with pleading green eyes and Kagome realized that she had started crying. Nobody should be allowed to traumatize a child like that. She picked him up from the chair and hugged him tightly, almost squeezing the life out of him. Shippou didn’t seem to mind however and he held on to her, crying as well in long sobs.

   When they were both calm again, Kagome set him back down on a chair and rubbed his tearstained cheeks with her thumbs.

   ‘You don’t have to go back there,’ she promised, her voice hoarse from crying. ‘You can stay here. But I have to let someone know where you are.’

   ‘No,’ he said anxiously, clinging to her. ‘You can’t tell anyone. They’d come take me away and hurt me again.’

   ‘I won’t let that happen. Don’t you have any adult friends? Someone who you like and can trust?’

   ‘There is someone,’ he finally said, after thinking for a few minutes. ‘That lady from the orphanage that I mentioned before. Her name is Kaede and she’s and old miko, just like you.’

   He realized how his words sounded and paled.

   ‘I-I mean that you’re a miko too. I can tell. I didn’t mean to say that you were old. Please don’t get mad at me.’

   ‘I know,’ Kagome smiled and kissed his forehead. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not mad. So you liked this lady.’

   ‘Yes. She was very stern with us, but she was also nice and cared for us.’

   ‘How can I find her?’

   He jumped down from the chair and ran into the bedroom. He returned a few seconds later with a leather pouch that had been around his neck when Kagome had found him. He began rummaging through it, spreading its contents on the table. She watched with increasing wonder as a spinning top, a wooden snake, crayons and a large number of tiny mushrooms and leaves came out from the pouch while Shippou was searching.

   ‘What’s all this for?’ she asked, picking up a mushroom and sniffing it.

   ‘Fox magic. I’m not very good at it at the moment, but I’m getting better. Want to see?’

   ‘Maybe later.’

   ‘Found it!’ he cried out, holding up a battered card.

   ‘Ms. Tama Kaede, social worker, Musashi Orphanage,’ Kagome read. ‘Okay then. Why don’t you put your things back while I call her to let her know where you are?’

   ‘Do you have to tell her?’

   ‘Yes. I’m sure she must be worried about you.’

   She left the boy to cram everything back into the pouch and went downstairs to use the phone in the café’s kitchen. Bankotsu looked at her inquiringly and she stopped to talk to him.

   ‘Who is our guest?’ he asked.

   ‘He’s an orphan. He’ll stay here tonight.’

   ‘What about tomorrow?’

   ‘I don’t know yet. I’m just going to make a call and set something up. I’ll tell you more when I know more.’

   As Bankotsu went back to his work she sat down next to the phone and dialed the number on the card. A raspy female answered after the third ring. It sounded much older than Kagome had expected.

   ‘Musashi Orphanage, Tama Kaede speaking. How may I help you?’

   ‘Hello, Ms. Tama. This is Higurashi Kagome. I called to talk to you about one of your children. His name is Shippou.’

   ‘Shippou?’ the voice became anxious. ‘Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?’

   ‘Yes. I found him in the alley behind my house and he’s with me now.’

   ‘Oh, thank heavens. Is he safe?’

   ‘As safe as can be expected. I don’t know if you’re aware that the family he was with was abusing him.’

   ‘Aye, I know well enough,’ the woman said fiercely. ‘And you may be assured, child, that they’ll pay dearly for what they’ve done to this boy and others.’

   As she listened to Kaede’s angry words, Kagome thought that it wouldn’t be a good idea to upset the woman.

   ‘Yes, I understand,’ she said. ‘But what are we going to do about Shippou? He’ll stay with me tonight. I’d be glad to let him stay longer, but I think that there are some legal proceedings to be taken care of before that.’

   ‘Aye, that’s true. Would it be convenient for me to come and see him tomorrow? I’m afraid I have forgotten your name, child. My mind isn’t what it used to be.’

   ‘It’s Higurashi Kagome. Of course you can come. I’ll give you my address.’

   ‘Higurashi,’ Kaede said thoughtfully. ‘I know an old man by that name. He’s a Shinto priest. Come to think of it, he does have a granddaughter named Kagome, or something like that. If that’s you, I already know where you live, child.’

   ‘Yes, that would be me. But I don’t live at the shrine anymore. I started a business and moved out.’

   ‘If that’s the case, wait while I get a pen and paper to write it down.’

   Kagome waited patiently while Kaede searched her desk, grumbling. She gave the woman her address and they agreed to meet the next day at noon. After a few more words and parting formalities, she hung up the phone and headed back upstairs.

   Shippou had fallen asleep with his head on the table by the time she returned. She scooped him up in her arms gently and carried him to her bedroom. Sango came up the stairs as Kagome was going by.

   ‘We’ve closed up. Are you coming down to the meeting?’ She caught sight of the boy I her friend’s arms and lowered her voice. “Who’s this?’

   ‘This is Shippou. He’ll be staying here tonight and I’ve called someone to pick him up tomorrow.’

   ‘His parents?’

   ‘No. A lady called Kaede. She said she knows my grandfather. Shippou is an orphan. His foster parents were abusing him and he ran away.’

   ‘How awful.’

   Sango looked down compassionately at the boy. The shop’s unofficial ‘Fatherless Club’ which besides the two of them and Kohaku also included Miroku, had apparently gained another member.

   Kagome knew what Sango was thinking about and wanting to stop her friend from becoming too dejected she recalled the unanswered question.

   ‘I’ll come down to the meeting in a minute. I just need to put this little guy to bed.’

   They walked together down the hall and continued their conversation in a whisper.

   ‘How was the conference?’ Sango asked, following her into her bedroom.

   ‘It was good,’ Kagome said and remembered something that had been driven completely out of her head by Shippou’s troubles. ‘You’ll never guess who that guy from the club is.’

   ‘The hot demon who danced with you and kissed you?’

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Well? Who is he?’

   ‘Guess.’

   ‘I’m not going to guess. Tell me already.’

   When Kagome still wouldn’t answer Sango narrowed her eyes at her friend.

   ‘Don’t make me beat it out of you.’

   ‘Okay, okay. He’s Inuyasha’s older brother, Sesshoumaru. Half-brother,’ she corrected herself. ‘I saw him at the conference.’

   ‘Did he recognize you? What did he say? What did you say?’ Sango asked excitedly, to mask her darkening mood. Inuyasha had mentioned his brother many times. To say that he did so in very unflattering terms was putting it mildly. She was afraid that if Kagome fell in love with him, she would get her heart trampled on very badly.

   ‘Keep your voice down or you’ll wake Shippou. He didn’t recognize me or if he did he didn’t show any sign of it. He was a complete jerk. Even his compliments are snarky. But I get the feeling that there’s more to him than meets the eye.’

   ‘What happened exactly?’

   ‘Well, he was very cold and haughty and disdainful. He criticized my choice of friends and said that our confections ‘are acceptable’. I wanted to kill him for that, but Inuyasha told me that he always says stuff like that and the fact that he actually bought some cupcakes means he likes them. Inuyasha also said that he really loves his daughter and submits to her every whim. I really can’t understand him. Even trying to think about his behaviour is giving me a headache.’

   The two friends stared at each other in silence for a minute, wondering what to say next. Kagome was the first to speak again.

   ‘Oh, yeah. You know that man who came in with the order for Saturday, right? Well, it turns out he’s…’

   ‘Inuyasha’s father. Yes, I know,’ Sango interrupted and then continued when she saw her friend’s inquiring look. ‘Bankotsu told me all about your argument when I went into the kitchen to get some cookies.’

   ‘And men say we gossip,’ Kagome rolled her eyes as they walked to the stairs.

   ‘So your mystery man has kids,’ her friend said, returning to the previous topic.

   ‘He’s not a mystery anymore and she’s adopted.’

   ‘Speaking of adopted, are you going to tell the others about Shippou?’

   ‘I don’t see why not. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything. Besides, Mr. Loudmouth down there must have already said enough to make them curious.’

   ‘Maybe that lady you mentioned will let him stay with us for a while. I can tell you like him.’

   ‘Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. For now let’s focus on getting ready for tomorrow.’

   ‘I sure know how to pick guys, don’t I?’ Kagome said again suddenly.

   ‘Well, let’s review: there’s Hojo: overbearing and totally self-absorbed; Inuyasha: rude, stubborn and still totally in love with his ex-girlfriend (who’s your cousin, by the way); Kouga: obsessive stalker who won’t take no for an answer; and Mukotsu: a perverted old man who tried to poison you and force you to marry him.’

   ‘Okay, Mukotsu was not my fault and you know it. Besides, you’re one to talk about perverts.’

   ‘This is not about me,’ Sango said with a blush.

   They were giggling as they went downstairs and joined the others in the kitchen.

------------------------------

A/N: This chapter came out way longer than it should have been, but by the time I hit the minimum word count, I was nowhere near where I wanted to be so I kept going.

Anyway, here's a few general things I needed to add at the end, if anyone's interested:

- Shippou's name means 'seven treasures'. I actually thought it meant 'tail', which a very similar spelling (without the final letter) actually means, but lets not get into Japanese phonetics right now.

- matcha is green tea powder.

- uwagi is the jacket from a martial arts uniform. I could have said haori just as well, but that was the word I found on the net and decided to go with it.

As i mentioned, the three song aren't mine. I actually listened to a Japanese radio station at work to get the last two. I'm going to give due credit here:

- The first one is 'You Were Always On My Mind' for which I'm going to credit Elvis Presley, because his is the version I know and also the first song that came to mind.

- The second song is 'tategami' by a Japanese band called Tokyo Gangster. The words quoted mean 'so I've heard that the world is wide'.

- The third song is my another Japanese artist, Yamanashi Ryohei and the title, which is the same as the words quoted, means 'Let's Meet in a Dream'.