A Most Devious Plot by thetroll

Chapter 1

A/N: For the prompts: Mythicamagic: Mokomoko is on sale at an auction and Stormie's challenge: "It's About Time" Challenge - Modern day Sess interferes in his own love life by somehow getting Kagome and his past self together.

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Could it be?

Kagome could hardly breathe as she made her way to the back of the tiny little vintage shop, drawn to the very item that seemed so out of place in a shop full of vintage knickknacks. Amongst clothing dating from before the First World War and an assortment of old, dull swords sat a white, fluffy boa-looking object that, in her mind, could be nothing else's.

It looked like the fur that Sesshomaru wore back in the feudal era.

"Caught your eye, did it?" the clerk leaned on the counter as she smiled at Kagome. There was nothing remarkable about the clerk and yet Kagome couldn't help but feel that there must be.

"It did," Kagome admitted, hesitating to reach out to touch it. Somehow, she could still see the look of disapproval on Sesshomaru's face, even though she knew she'd never sensed yoki in this time—let alone Sesshomaru's.

It was just as well; there was a sign next to it that clearly read: "No touching."

The clerk rested her chin on her hand. "Most people don't even notice it's there."

Kagome offered the clerk a small smile. "It's kind of hard to miss." She waved a hand at the size of the furry decoration, which was so large that it had to be draped on four large hooks to keep it from touching the floor.

"Mmm." The clerk waved her free hand. "Most people aren't really looking."

From that, Kagome guessed the clerk mostly saw people in to window shop, which had been Kagome's initial intent herself until she'd spied the object before her. Now that she'd seen it, however, she knew she wouldn't be walking away without it.

She had to have it. She didn't know what compelled her so strongly, but the urge wouldn't go away. 

"How much is it?" Kagome turned to face the clerk fully as she mentally counted the money her mother had given her as a stipend. She hoped it would be enough; she'd already spent some of it on medical supplies for her friends and should have been on her way to the convenience store to pick up snacks, but now she was quickly revising that plan. InuYasha would just have to do without ramen for a little bit.

The clerk stared at her. "Well," she drawled slowly, "it's been there for awhile, I guess. The owner kind of wants it gone; it's taking up a lot of space. But it's also really good quality."

Kagome tried not to fidget, remembering her mother's negotiation skills. The clerk seemed willing to bargain but if Kagome looked too eager, the price might end up being more than she could afford. "It looks like it hasn't been washed in awhile," Kagome said dubiously, eying a few smudges in the fur. In fact, now that she stepped a little closer to study it, she thought it had an odd, musty smell that reminded her of—well, something. 

She just couldn't put her finger on what.

"Hmmm." The clerk was silent for a moment. "Well, I guess it probably hasn't been washed in awhile. But I can't give it away for free, either. The owner would tear my hair out." She ran her free hand through her her long, straight black locks. "Fifty thousand yen seems fair."

Kagome blanched. Fifty thousand? She eyed the fur before her and recounted. She had exactly five thousand yen on hand, a tenth of the asking price, and suddenly she wasn't sure she'd actually be able to negotiate for it. 

Kagome inhaled sharply and thought quickly. "It would have to be professionally cleaned," she pointed out, though she knew her mother would be capable of doing it. Her mother had worked her way through college at a laundromat, after all. "That would probably cost several thousand yen right there, if not more. It looks really delicate."

The clerk eyed the fur. "It is difficult to keep clean," she admitted. "Fine, I'll drop the price to twenty thousand yen."

Still too high. Kagome squeezed her lips to the side as she thought through how to bring the price down more but all she could focus on was how it would feel wrapped around her. She wouldn't have to sleep in her sleeping bag if she didn't want to and she would get a pillow out of it, too. 

"I dunno," Kagome tried to sound dubious. "It seems like it would be difficult to take home without a car. It would probably get dirtier along the way."

The clerk's brow raised as her lips twitched. "You're a shrewd little thing, aren't you? Fifteen thousand yen and I'll wrap it for you so it doesn't drag."

"Five thousand," Kagome blurted, throwing all of her cards on the table. "I won't even need a bag."

The clerk pressed her lips together for a moment, considering. "Bagging it would be kind of annoying." She was silent for another moment. "Fine, fine, five thousand."

Kagome didn't even hesitate; she had her wallet out and her coins on the counter before the clerk even finished speaking.

The clerk looked like she was trying not to laugh as she punched in the transaction into the register. A receipt came spewing out. "This receipt is a confirmation of purchase," she cautioned, tearing the receipt off of the printer. "We're a vintage store; we don't do returns. Once you walk out of here, it's yours. We aren't responsible for anything that happens to it after that."

"That's fine," Kagome said eagerly, already picturing what the furry boa would look like wrapped around her. She had no intentions of ever returning it, anyway. 

The clerk handed her the receipt. "Let me get it down and then it's yours."

Kagome shifted her weight, trying not to dance about in excitement as the clerk got a ladder and took the boa down. She was careful to keep it off the ground, though it meant her hands were completely full of the white fur.

"Here you go."

Kagome took the fur, draping it around her neck as she sighed happily. It was so soft—in fact, it was the softest thing she'd ever touched. The individual furs felt like silk and, instead of tickling and overheating her skin as fur was wont to do, it lay against it, cool and smooth. "Thank you," she said gratefully. She couldn't wait to take it back home and snuggle up with it. It was so long she could wrap it all around herself and still have a little bit to spare.

"You're welcome, Kagome."

Kagome was grinning as she left the shop, juggling her other purchases so she could make sure the precious fur never touched the ground, never noticing that she'd never given the clerk her name.

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After the priestess left, the clerk turned to the yokai hiding in the corner. "So what are you going to do next?" the wolf yokai asked, raising a brow. She still couldn't believe that the daiyokai had voluntarily given his mokomoko up.

A small smile tugged at his lips, making her feel more than a little nervous. "Nothing," he said calmly. "She will do more than enough."

And with those ominous words, he turned and left her shop.