Just turn around…and fall in love by MissTeak
Just turn around…and fall in love
itdoI do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters.
A/N: This is a light-hearted oneshot inspired by r0o’s awesome fanart ‘Separate Ways’, and for those who haven’t seen it, I seriously suggest you do so! It’s lovely.
The concept of this story is somewhat similar to the Chinese romance movie ‘Xiang zuo zou, xiang you zou’, if you actually know it. But no matter what, it is very different and I hope you enjoy it.
Oh, and in Japan, you board the bus from the back and alight from the front.
Just turn around…and fall in love
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January, 2010. Shikon High School Carnival.
“Souta-kun is so lucky to have such a great sister!” The high school senior standing by her side exclaimed, eliciting a smile from the raven-haired woman by her side.
“I’m just doing what I can for a good cause, Satomi-chan.” She answered with an encouraging smile, as she continued flipping the takoyaki octopus balls on the sizzling grill. “Besides, this is really fun! It’s been so long since I’ve last made takoyaki!”
The girl named Satomi laughed as she sold another box of takoyaki, receiving a five hundred yen coin from the customer. “You’re being so humble, Kagome-san. The takoyaki you make is absolutely divine! Just look at the number of boxes we’ve sold so far…I’m quite sure our chess club would come in first this year for the highest amount of funds raised! We have the best alumni volunteer!”
It was Souta’s high school’s annual fund-raising carnival, and this year, Kagome had come up with the idea of selling takoyaki at her brother’s chess club booth. Of course, not only had she come up with the idea, she had also come down to her alma mater to show her support for the students by helping to prepare the takoyaki.
Business had been brisk since the morning, and neither she nor the chess club members had had the opportunity to take a breather. As the president of the chess club, Souta had come up with a simple lunch schedule for his club members to go for lunch in batches.
“Satomi-chan, you should go grab a quick bite or just sit down and rest,” Kagome urged when she saw the girl stifle a yawn. “After all, business is starting to slow down.”
“Maybe I should…” The girl flashed a grateful smile. “Will you be able to cope with the crowd?”
“There’s not really a ‘crowd’ to speak of, as you can see. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
With Kagome’s reassurance, Satomi left, and she was now all alone at the booth with hardly any customers.
Finally, Kagome thought as she allowed herself to settle comfortably into a stool. Wiping her slightly greasy hands on her apron, she pulled her cell phone out from her pocket. It’s good to be able to take a rest.
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“I would like to have a box of takoyaki.”
Sesshoumaru called out to the raven-haired girl sitting at the booth, though she paid no attention to him. Her head was lowered, evidently engrossed in reading something off the screen of her cell phone.
“Excuse me?”
That caught her attention. The girl jumped up from her sitting position with a start, displacing a few strands of hair from her messy bun as she frantically shoved her cell phone back into the pocket at the back of her jeans. “Yes, how can I help you?”
Gold eyes met gentle chocolate ones, and the earlier annoyance he had felt at being ignored dissipated with the late winter wind sweeping through. The bright, sincere smile which lit the angelic face up literally took his breath away, and the usually cool and suave male was reduced to a helpless mess.
“Umm…one box of takoyaki. Thanks.”
“Sure!” She smiled again, though the smile clearly held hints of knowing. Inwardly, he cursed his momentary slip of coolness. Which guy liked to appear unconfident and loser-ish in front of an attractive girl? Especially when she was all smiles and appeared very friendly and approachable.
Quickly, she got down to preparing his order. Silently, Sesshoumaru watched her work diligently and swiftly, but unfortunately, she was too fast and it wasn’t long before a box of takoyaki was presented to him.
“That will be five hundred yen.”
Pulling a one thousand yen bill out from his wallet, Sesshoumaru placed it on the cash tray.
“Make it one more box.”
Her initial surprise was betrayed by slightly widened eyes, before those rich chocolate eyes crinkled at the side in an amused smile. “Sure, right away!”
As she poured the thick batter into the heated grill with a delicious sizzling hiss, the girl initiated conversation.
“You like takoyaki?”
“Not all,” He surprised himself with how naturally his reply came. “Just the good ones.”
She laughed, and he noted the tinge of pink that stained her cheeks. Absentmindedly, he wondered if it was blusher, or if it had been brought forth by the late winter cold or the heat from the grill.
Or maybe, she was blushing because of his comment. That thought was…pleasing.
“You haven’t tried it…how would you know?”
“I can tell.”
She merely raised her eyebrows and smiled knowingly, continuing with her task of dropping chunks of sliced octopus onto the cooking batter.
In the late afternoon, as he drove off from the school compound with his younger sister Rin in the passenger seat, Sesshoumaru found himself unable to come up with a satisfactory answer when the high school year one student asked him why he had bought a total of four boxes of takoyaki.
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February 2010. The High School Year Book.
“Souta, umm…you’ve just got a copy of your year book, haven’t you?”
“Year book? As in the one for high school?” Her brother replied, not taking his eyes off the physics assignment he was working furiously on.
“Yup!” Kagome answered a little too brightly, hoping Souta would be too caught up with his work to question further.
Nodding as he continued looking at the complex figures on the worksheet, Souta reached back to point at his shelf in the corner of the room. “It’s there, on the second shelf. Why would you want it?”
“Sure, thanks!” Walking hurriedly to the shelf, she ran her eyes over the spines of the books, before managing to find the one she was looking for. With deft fingers, Kagome pulled the book out, before practically running back to her room and closing the door behind her.
Now, he couldn’t possibly be a high school student, could he? Sure, he looked young, but he was definitely not that young. Flipping furiously though the pages, she glanced at each and every face, only to see no signs of him.
Maybe he was a teacher? She thought to herself, and flipped to the section of the year book where the pictures of the members of the academic staff were all printed.
No such luck.
She must have flipped through the year book for a good five times before she fell asleep on her bed.
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Somewhere out there in Tokyo, Sesshoumaru was lying on his bed, looking up at the darkened ceiling of his room. The night was chilly and comfortable, and while it should have been perfect for a good night’s rest, he found himself unable to fall asleep.
He might have grown sick of takoyaki, but he had definitely not grown tired of thinking about a certain raven-haired girl.
Sighing audibly, Sesshoumaru tossed and turned on the bed. He should have thought of asking for her name, or for her email address or cell phone number or whatever. Alas, all he had done was to buy lots of takoyaki and ended up stuffing himself silly.
But there was no use in thinking too much; she had been working at one of those booths set up by the students, and that would only mean one thing, right?
She was most probably a high school student as well.
Even if she was a high school senior, she would only be eighteen. That was a mere two years older than Rin was, and it made him feel somewhat scandalized. It was so wrong, especially when he was already twenty-four.
Then it struck him.
She might be a teacher at the school. Yes, that could be the reason why she was helping out at the students’ booth.
He would have to ask Rin for her high school year book tomorrow.
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March, 2010. The Restaurant at Ebisu.
“Happy 22nd birthday! Kagome, make a wish, make a wish!” Ayame and Sango chorused. The birthday song had been sung, and all were waiting for the birthday girl to make a wish, blow out the candles and cut the cake.
Closing her eyes, Kagome clasped her hands together in front of her and wished silently.
I hope I can get to see him again.
With that said inwardly, she opened her eyes to see the smiling faces of her good friends and family members, before leaning forward to blow the strong flames of the candles out.
Boisterous cheers erupted again, courtesy of Souta, Kohaku and Kouga, and she smiled gratefully at her loved ones for planning this surprise party for her. Everything was almost perfect, from the homemade chocolate fudge cake to the fancy venue, a new Italian-fusion restaurant which she had always wanted to visit.
It would have been perfect if he was here.
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He had heard about a new restaurant in the Ebisu district from his stepmother, Izayoi, and how divine their teriyaki cod fish pasta was. Like many other young Tokyoites, Sesshoumaru had been meaning to visit the restaurant.
Now, he was standing right outside the door.
Unfortunately, the company he had was not quite close to what he would deem ideal.
“Sesshoumaru-sama, this humble one finds it impossible to verbally express just how honored I am to be able to have dinner with you-”
“Then don’t, Jaken.” He said matter-of-factly, intending to shut his chauffeur up with the curt comment, only to elicit another highly exaggerated ramble from the short, wrinkly man.
“Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, how honored I am, to have someone as important and as honorable as you to be concerned over my well-being…”
The excessive noise generated by the tiny man was driving him crazy. It was then when Jaken pushed the door to the restaurant open, and Sesshoumaru frowned at the rowdy cheers and whistles which greeted his ears. Then, God forbid, someone popped the first party popper of the night.
“Happy birthday, Kagome!” Came a loud chorus of birthday cheers, followed by crazed feminine giggles and laughter from the large crowd inside the restaurant.
That was the last thing he needed. Sesshoumaru could not imagine how potent the mixture of birthday cheers and Jaken’s annoying voice would be. It would be a miracle if his ears could survive the night.
“Jaken. We are going somewhere else for dinner.”
“Right away, Sesshoumaru-sama! Anywhere you wish!”
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April, 2010. Cherry Blossom Viewing.
She adored the way the cherry blossom petals danced in the air to descend upon earth, and liked it even more whenever she managed to catch a soft, powdery petal in her palm. The texture of the petal against the pad of her finger reminded her of baby skin.
Right now, in Kitanomaru Park, the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, creating breathtaking pink-colored grandeur along the river bank. The pale petals were like kisses from a shy lover to her partner, kissing the surface of the river gently and demurely to elicit ripples on the surface.
They had rented a boat, and Miroku was rowing it while Sango and Kagome sat on the other end. The sight was magnificent, and it would have been more so if she hadn’t been playing gooseberry to the couple with her. Sure, they were her best friends, but it still felt weird.
But of course, Sango was just about the friendliest and most easy-going girl she knew, and Miroku, the most charming and witty guy. Conversation ran continuously like a river between them, ranging from day-to-day topics to even politics. They were such great friends, but Kagome wished they could get the privacy they deserved.
Feigning interest in one of the cherry blossom trees on the bank to her left, Kagome gazed at the flurry of pink. Meanwhile, Miroku discreetly winked and smiled at his girlfriend, reaching out to hold her hand gently in his for two seconds.
So preoccupied had she been, Kagome failed to notice a silver-haired man rowing a boat carrying a middle-aged woman and a teenage girl in the opposite direction on her right.
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May, 2010. Convenience Store.
Kagome watched the jumping digits on the display panel of the cash register, before the cashier said politely, “That will be a total of one thousand, two hundred and eighty yen.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, Kagome reached into her tote bag for her purse, only to be alerted to her ringing cell phone. Pulling the device out, she flipped it open to press it to her ear.
“Okaasan, I’m making payment at Family Mart…yes…I’ll talk to you later...I bought udon salad, cold tofu and some fruit juice…” Kagome said urgently, smiling apologetically at the cashier who was waiting for her.
After she had made payment, Kagome grabbed the plastic carrier filled with her purchase and turned to leave, only to be called back by the cashier before she could get to the door.
“Miss, you’ve forgotten your change of two hundred and twenty yen!”
The familiar ‘ding-dong’ of the bell which sounded whenever a customer stepped in was heard from behind her as Kagome stepped forward apologetically to receive the loose change from the smiling cashier.
“Thank you very much,” She smiled, before walking out of the convenience store to go to the bus stop nearby to catch the bus home.
She should hurry; Souta and Grandpa were waiting for her to get home with supper.
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Stepping into the convenience store, Sesshoumaru walked over to the chilled beverages section to grab a can of cold yuzu orange flavored sake. The song ‘Machiawase’ by Baba Toshihide playing on his iPhone had strangely put him into the mood for some literally bittersweet alcohol.
He had been lost in the slightly melancholic yet hopeful melody and lyrics, to the extent where he had not noticed a certain raven-haired girl at the cashier’s. If he had turned around and seen her, he wouldn’t be drinking the bitter yuzu orange beverage for that night.
Now, what snacks should he buy to go along with the alcohol as he worked late into the night?
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June, 2010. Japanese Chess and Blue Hydrangeas.
“Wow, the flowers are so beautiful!” The chorus of awed exclamations came from behind, and Kagome turned around to see a group of high school students, undoubtedly Souta’s friends, walking towards her. She knew them, and raised her hand to wave at the teenagers. This group of friends was from Souta’s Japanese chess club from school, and she knew almost all of them since they often came over to the shrine to use the courtyard for their chess games after school.
“Nee-chan,” Souta greeted his older sister, and it wasn’t long before Kagome noticed a sweet, blushing visage from behind the rest. The girl’s face held a naturally endearing charm with youth and innocence, and she had obviously been raised well, for she stepped forward to greet Kagome as the others casually made their way to the courtyard first.
“It is nice to meet you, Higurashi-san. I am Nishikawa Rin, a year one student and I am also a new member of the Japanese chess club. Souta-senpai has definitely given me many pointers and taken good care of me.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rin. I am Higurashi Kagome, Souta’s older sister. You can call me Kagome like all the others do. I hope you’re enjoying your time at the chess club.”
“You have no idea, nee-chan!” Souta interrupted with eyes widened in excitement as he turned to his sister, and the latter noted the growing blush on Rin’s face. “Rin is extremely skillful at chess. She gave me a run for my money when we had a so-called ‘friendly’ game, and won all her games with the year twos.”
“Really? You must be really good at chess, Rin!” Kagome praised, knowing that the young girl really had to have a few tricks up her sleeve to earn that comment from Souta. After all, her brother was the president of the club, and had been the overall winner in the junior category in the prefecture-level competition last year.
“Rin, you should play against my sister some day! She was the one who taught me to play.”
“That’s a great idea!” Kagome smiled encouragingly. “We should have a game and exchange some pointers when we have the time to do so. You must be really good, Rin, for Souta to feel pressured.”
The girl blushed harder and lowered her head, “No, I’m nowhere as good as Souta-senpai is! It’s just that, I’ve been learning how to play chess from my oldest brother since I was in elementary school…and he gives me pointers occasionally…”
Grinning at his sister, Souta commented, “Can you imagine playing against her brother, nee-chan? He must be some sort of expert to coach someone as skillful as Rin is!”
“I’d love to if there’s such an opportunity,” Kagome smiled at the young girl. “It’s always nice to meet someone who shares the same interest.”
As silence settled comfortably into the atmosphere, Rin asked, “Are those flowers hydrangeas, Kagome nee-chan?”
“Yes, they are! We planted them ourselves, and they make the shrine look so lively in summer. Do you like hydrangeas?”
Rin nodded with a bright smile. “I think they’re really pretty, but the one who really likes them in our family is my oldest brother. He says the blue and purple colors of the flowers help take his mind off the unbearable summer heat.”
“Your brother sounds like a man of refined tastes, to be able to appreciate traditional chess and hydrangeas.” Kagome commented, making a mental note to ask to meet this person someday. After all, he shared her interests, and that was the best foundation for friendship. “I have a little gift for him. Just tell him it’s from a like-minded person.”
That was how Rin went home that day from the Higurashi shrine with a tiny pot of rich blue hydrangeas for Sesshoumaru.
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July, 2010. The Bus and the Shrine.
I can make it…I can make it…just a few more steps…
Kitten heels clicked noisily against the pavement as the wearer’s legs pumped as furiously as her A-line skirt could allow.
…YES!! I did it!
Kagome chanted triumphantly in her adrenaline-pumped mind as she practically flew to the bus at the bus stop. Grabbing both sides of the handlebars at the door, she pulled herself up the steps, ignoring the subtle frowns and glances of her fellow passengers before settling herself comfortably into an available seat.
The seat was still warm.
It felt a little too warm for her liking, since it was summer after all, but it turned out to be pretty pleasant once she got used to it.
With swift hands, she pulled a bottle of iced tea out from her bag before unscrewing the cap to draw a long sip of the chilly, refreshing beverage. She was done before the bus’ engine started rumbling again, and Kagome allowed a little smile of satisfaction as she happily concluded that she had once again prevailed in the daily game she played with the bus.
Of course, it was nothing serious. It was just a competition with the bus to see if she could catch up with it at seven in the morning, and if she could take a sip of her drink prior to it moving off.
Cheap thrill? Totally, and probably very uncool too.
It was just Higurashi Kagome’s idea of life’s little joys. Then, somewhere along the bus ride, she would see the little children clad in their adorable uniforms and yellow safety helmets standing at the traffic junctions. They had always reminded her of little ducklings as they waited in orderly rows to cross the road.
While she had been preoccupied with her tea, a silver-haired man alighted from the same bus at the front.
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Nishikawa Sesshoumaru stepped onto the pavement at the bus stop, subconsciously holding his breath as the bus moved off in a cloud of exhaust fumes. The heavy vehicle gradually rolled off into the distance, as if unwilling to join the ever-present traffic jam in Tokyo.
Checking the GPS application on his iPhone once more, Sesshoumaru confirmed his destination and began to walk in its direction. He had not intended to come to this place so early in the morning, but unfortunately for the busy man he was, that happened to be the only available time slot.
It did not take him too long to find the place (thank goodness for technology) and it wasn’t long before Sesshoumaru found himself standing at the entrance of a traditional Shinto shrine. It had been so many years since he had last visited a shrine; Sesshoumaru had never been a particularly religious individual. There was no one in sight in the courtyard, not even a priestess in her traditional garb, but he quickly saw what he had come all the way for.
Striding over to the booth at the corner of the shrine where omamori amulets of all colors, shapes and sizes were displayed, Sesshoumaru started running his eyes over the kanji characters sewn onto the embroidered pouches. He wanted to make it quick, to just buy and go.
Health…wealth…Safety for little children…nope…
There it was, just what he needed.
Wrapping his fingers around a baby pink amulet that read ‘Gakugyo Joju’ for blessings and success in the academic aspects, Sesshoumaru picked it up with a satisfactory nod.
Rin would definitely like this, he thought to himself. His little sister would be sitting for her high school year one preliminary examination soon, and the poor girl had been burying herself under a mountain of textbooks as she studied till the wee hours of the morning on a daily basis. As an older brother, all he could do was help her with the occasional math question she could not solve and buy her a little good luck amulet to boost her confidence.
But there was a little problem; he had what he needed, but there was no one around to accept payment.
As Sesshoumaru started contemplating if he should just leave the money on the empty counter and leave with his purchase, a female voice called out apologetically to him from behind.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, sir.” The older woman bowed politely as she took the omamori amulet from Sesshoumaru to wrap it up. “We weren’t expecting devotees so early in the morning, and my daughter has left for work, so she isn’t around to help out…”
He was barely listening, for he was already thinking about the meeting he had later in the afternoon. All he remembered was handing the money to the lady, nodding patronizingly before leaving the shrine for his work place, Royal Spring Hotel.
It was a shame he didn’t take a good look at her – he would have seen clear similarities to the face which lurked in his mind whenever the night got a little lonely.
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August, 2010. Asakusa District, Summer Festival.
“Kagome, I swear, if you keep stuffing your face like this-”
“-it won’t be too soon before you develop those dreaded love handles and hideous rolls of fat around your middle…” Kagome continued Sango’s sentence with a patronizing grin, before taking another generous bite of her candied apple. “I know, Sango, I know.”
They were at the annual summer festival held in the Asakusa district of downtown Tokyo with their clique of friends consisting of Ayame, Kouga and Miroku. The girls were all dolled up, looking all pretty and feminine in their vividly colored yukatas as they mingled among the crowd at the festival.
Sango’s face took on a withering expression which did not quite match her lovely pleated bun hairdo and baby yellow yukata.
“Kagome, you know I love you and I don’t mean to nag but-”
Laughing in amused exasperation, Kagome stuffed a few pieces of sugared peanuts into her friend’s open mouth, only to have her laughter increase in volume upon seeing Sango’s expression of surprise and indignity.
“-you might end up being left on the shelf because no guy would be physically attracted to you…” Kagome continued the sentence once again, having heard the same thing one too many times. “Sango, I am not dying to marry myself off. I’m doing great without a man in my life! Oh, Miroku, will you be kind enough to help me silence your girlfriend?”
“Gladly, dearest Kagome. Now, my lovely Sango, how would you like me to silence you?” Miroku asked in his usual jovially lecherous tone, puckering his lips exaggeratedly in his girlfriend’s direction.
Kagome watched the two lovebirds banter playfully yet again for the nth time in that day and how Kouga and Ayame were lingering at the back with the former sneaking affectionate pecks whenever he could. Knowing better than to let them witness the forced smile on her face and end up making them feel guilty over not accompanying her, she walked ahead into the crowd. Maybe she should go grab one of those mizuame, with a generous glob of corn syrup between two pieces of crackers.
This must be one of the moments, she thought wryly to herself. While being single was not a bad thing in any way, there were times when she could not deny that it got a little lonely and awkward. It did not help that her clique of five consisted of two couples, so she was constantly sticking out like a sore thumb. What was worse than feeling awkward was how the girls made it a point to involve her in everything, dragging her along on double dates while insisting it was a group outing.
There was once when they had gone cycling, and it was too obvious that Kouga had wanted to ride tandem with Ayame. Yet the latter had insisted that she wanted to ride with Kagome, and poor Kouga had to ride alone eventually. He didn’t complain or display a hint of unhappiness, but it was nonetheless awkward on her part. The nicer they were to her, the more she felt like a charity case that was standing in her friends’ way.
Sometimes she wished she had someone there for her. Absentmindedly, a face materialized within her thoughts, and she wondered if he had a girlfriend.
But that was such a silly thought; someone as good-looking as he was could never be single! Besides, they had only met once, and she knew nothing about him.
She should just get that mizuame; eating was the best way to take her mind off things.
Some things should be left the way they were.
Walking over to the stall selling the brightly colored snack of sweet syrup sandwiched between two pieces of crackers, Kagome reached into her drawstring pouch to feel around for her purse. She would most probably get the orange-colored ones…
“Kagome!”
Her head snapped up upon hearing her name, and turned immediately to meet Sango and Miroku’s faces. Smiling, she gestured at the snacks. “I’m getting one of those. Would you like one?”
“No more food! You’ve been eating and eating non-stop since we’ve reached! I honestly wonder how you remain this size, Kagome!” Sango huffed, living up to her reputation of ‘mother hen’ in the group. “Come here, we are going to play games instead!”
Wrapping her hand around her best friend’s wrist, Sango began to drag the protesting Kagome away from the food stalls in the direction of the game booths.
“But, my mizuame-”
“No! That’s enough for now!”
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As the girl allowed herself to be dragged away by her best friends, a younger girl dressed in an orange and green checkered yukata approached the stall selling mizuame, fitting herself into the space left empty by the other girl who had just left. Her face was childishly youthful at approximately sixteen years of age, and it practically lit up at the sight of the colorful snacks.
“Sesshoumaru nii-chan! Can I have one of these?” She asked excitedly as she turned to wave at a figure in the crowd behind her.
His eyes narrowed in subtle disapproval at the girl’s choice of snack; those snacks scored zero on the nutrition chart and were made of nothing but heavy glucose and carbohydrates.
“Pretty please?” Doe eyes beseeched, and he knew she had gotten her way. After all, he had promised his father to take good care of his little sister, and if Rin looked unhappy when they got home, his father was bound to question.
“Very well, you can have one.”
He could never understand why people would enjoy eating something like that.
If he had a choice, even though he had grown sick of it, Sesshoumaru would rather eat takoyaki.
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September, 2010. Step Up, Step Down.
Thankfully, the sweltering heat from summer was started to fade away as the early autumnal chill set in.
Kagome loved the balmy weather – good weather made everything better. The world looked more beautiful, bus rides became comfortable, food became more delicious and people generally became nicer. Even lunch break seemed more enjoyable than it had been in summer. So pleasant had her mood been in the morning, Kagome did not even curse the traffic jam which caused her to be almost late for work.
Exiting Tomita Electronics’ company building with Ayame by her side, the girls started walking down the steps leading to the main pedestrian pavement. Sango, Kouga and Miroku were already waiting for them at a new Indian restaurant two streets away, where they would have a quick lunch together before heading back to their respective work places.
“I’ve read from food blog reviews that the food at the new restaurant is really value for money and delicious too! What’s best is the diet-friendly vegetarian set lunch; you can eat without feeling guilty…” Ayame gushed excitedly over the idea of going to the new restaurant, especially since she had always been into healthy and quality eating. Just then, Ayame’s cell phone rang.
“Hello? Oh, yes…we’re on our way…alright, that’s a good idea. I’ll have the vegetarian set lunch.” Removing the cell phone from her ear, the red-head turned to Kagome before passing the phone to her. “Sango says she’d place our orders first, so we don’t have to waste time waiting.”
“Hello, Sango?” Kagome took the cell phone over from Ayame, hearing Sango’s voice over the line. “Uh-huh, what’s available? Right…wait, wait…you do realize I cannot understand Indian names? That’s so sensitive of you, Sango darling.”
The pretty red-head by Kagome’s side couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of Sango rattling off the Indian names of the dishes off the menu to a clueless Kagome.
“Oh that sounds good…Navratan Korma. Fancy name, whatever that means. Wait, it is vegetarian curry…? No, no, cancel that, I’m not Ayame. I actually appreciate and need meat.”
Laughing at the mock angry glare which Ayame flashed in her direction, Kagome continued. “Alright, I’ll have the West Bengal Macher Jhor…the fish curry thing…yes, thanks…ooops!!!”
As the two girls bent down to retrieve Kagome’s purse from the ground and the coins which had fallen out from it, a silver-haired man walked up the steps from the other side meant for ascending.
“Oh, just my luck!” Kagome muttered. The purse was a gift from her aunt, and she sure hoped the white leather wouldn’t get a stain on it.
Just then, there was a male voice.
“I believe this five hundred yen coin belongs to you.”
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Sesshoumaru checked his phone again for the unit number of the office he was supposed to go to, where he would present the banquet package details which Royal Spring Hotel had to offer for the charity dinner held by Tomita Electronics.
The weather was beautiful, which made walking outdoors so much more bearable than it had been in summer. He had intended to drive, but the lunch hour traffic jam in central Tokyo was no joking matter, and walking three streets would even count as a bit of exercise.
He had to do his best to get this deal, partly because of monetary gains and also to impress his father, who had been monitoring his performance at work very closely indeed to determine if his eldest son deserved a promotion to the position of Managing Director after his impending retirement.
It was then when he heard the unmistakable tinkling of coins against the pavement, and a sideward glance revealed two young ladies bent over on the steps on the other side, picking a white coin purse and its contents up. One of the ladies had flaming red hair, while the other who had her back to him had mid-length raven waves. Both were wearing skirts, which made it inconvenient for them to bend over to pick the coins up.
Basic courtesy urged him to offer his help, but just as he was about to do so, his cell phone rang.
“This is Nishikawa Sesshoumaru speaking.” He answered with the professionalism he reserved for work-related matters. It turned out that it was his secretary, who had some information to fill him in prior to the meeting. “Go on, I’m listening.”
Another sideward glance told him that a middle-aged man had offered his help to the ladies. Turning his attention back to the call, Sesshoumaru continued listening to his secretary as he jogged up the rest of the steps.
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October, 2010. Email.
Fingers flew over the keyboard as Kagome typed her password before pressing ‘Enter’ to gain access to her email account.
As always on mornings, there was a flood of emails waiting for her to read and answer to. Some were important, some were polite, some were downright annoying and some were what she dubbed ‘lucky spam’ which had managed to escape her junk mail filter.
Then there was one which caught her attention. It was titled ‘Re: Royal Spring Hotel’, had been flagged as ‘priority’.
Opening the email, she saw that it was a reply from Nishikawa Sesshoumaru, the current General Manager of Royal Spring Hotel with regard to the annual charity event hosted by Tomita Electronics. Being a member of the human resource department, event-management was definitely within Kagome’s job scope, and liaising with Royal Spring Hotel was her main duty now that she had been assigned the position of leader of the charity dinner planning committee.
Kagome had not expected the General Manager to reply so promptly to her email; she had only emailed him last night and here his reply was, sitting in her inbox almost impatiently. He had to be a busy person, considering his position in the company.
Then she noticed he had replied to the email at the ungodly hour of three in the wee hours of the morning.
What a workaholic…she mused absentmindedly, clicking on the title to open the email.
Quickly, she read the contents of the email before replying to it right away, making sure to send a carbon copy of it to her direct superior as well.
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A new email alert from his computer caught his attention, and Sesshoumaru looked away from the proposal he had been reading to look at the screen.
There it was, a reply from the human resource executive whom he had just replied last night.
Higurashi Kagome…overall in-charge of the charity dinner planning committee...she was someone he would hire; hardworking and efficient, as seen from the way she handled the day-to-day administrative matters.
Good.
He liked working with her.
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November, 2010. The Meeting at Royal Spring Hotel.
There was a polite knock on his door, and Sesshoumaru sat up straight in his chair.
“Enter.”
“Mr. Nishikawa, the representatives from the human resource department of Tomita Electronics are here. Shall I send them in?”
Nodding at his secretary, Sesshoumaru mentally prepared himself for the impending discussion of details. “Please do.”
Finally, he would get to meet the lady with whom he had been corresponding via email, and Sesshoumaru had a feeling that the meeting would go very well indeed.
There was something about the way their working styles complemented each other – he was a go-getter who believed in efficiency and maximizing time and potential, while she was definitely able to catch up with him in terms of pace, and was a brilliant client to work with. Brilliant at maximizing her company’s benefits yet never coming across as a demanding client – that was what Higurashi Kagome was. In short, they were having a great time working together. It was a breath of fresh air for Sesshoumaru.
A while later, a young lady with bright green eyes and fiery red hair and a smiley balding middle-aged man stepped into his office politely.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Nishikawa. I am Shibata Koujirou from Tomita Electronics and this is my colleague, Miss Ito Ayame. We are here to update you on the progress and latest details of our annual charity event-”
“Where is Miss Higurashi?” Sesshoumaru asked abruptly, forgetting his manners for a moment. “If I am not mistaken, she is supposed to be coming down to Royal Spring Hotel today.”
“Yes, she is. However, Miss Higurashi had unfortunately, caught the flu bug and has taken two days off work…”
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed; Sesshoumaru had been looking forward to meeting this client whose working style complemented his so well.
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Meanwhile, in the Higurashi shrine in downtown Tokyo, Kagome was wrapped up in a comfy woolen blanket on the couch with wadded tissue paper discarded all around as she watched some travel program on the television. It was so annoying to be sick, but the break from work was much appreciated. She only hoped Ayame and Mr. Shibata could cope nicely with the meeting with Mr. Nishikawa.
This episode was about touring in Osaka, and the hosts were revealing the ranking of the various takoyaki stalls in the famous Dotombori street.
Takoyaki…it reminded her of a certain man whom she had met at the high school carnival in January. She wondered if he really did manage to finish it all by himself. After all, he had claimed that he really, really loved takoyaki, and eating four boxes would not pose a problem in the least.
She giggled.
Hopefully that birthday wish would come true.
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December, 2010. Finally.
“Hello, Sesshoumaru nii-chan? Where are you now?” Rin asked over the phone, holding the receiver to her ear as she waited in the Higurashi’s dining room.
While nothing was official between the two blushing teenagers, Souta had actually invited Rin over to his place for dinner, much to the delight of Kagome, her mother and grandfather. Rin was absolutely charming; she was not only pretty and talented when it came to chess, she was also sweet and endearing with her natural bubbly personality.
Now that they had had dinner and watched some television together, Rin was getting ready to go home lest her oldest brother ‘threw a fit’ as she so put it. She had said it not with disgust or annoyance though; it was more of an endearingly exasperated gesture. Her second older brother shared a more teasing relationship with her, while the oldest one was extremely protective of his little sister. Kagome had thought it to be pretty funny; she thought men with sister complexes existed only in manga for amusement effect.
But as Rin talked to her brother, Kagome could catch the words ‘Sesshoumaru nii-chan’ over the sounds of the television and her grandfather’s rambles about yet another of his heroic adventures in his youth.
Sesshoumaru…so Rin’s brother shared the same name as the General Manager of Royal Spring Hotel. Rin’s last name was Nishikawa, which made her brother Nishikawa Sesshoumaru too. That was really rare considering how unique the name was, and Kagome could not help the frown on her face.
It was just a tad too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it? How many Sesshoumarus were there in modern Tokyo? What if he really turned out to be the Nishikawa Sesshoumaru? Besides, even if he wasn’t, he was still a fellow chess enthusiast and an appreciator of hydrangeas. Kagome would like to meet him…
“Rin-chan, please tell your brother that we would be honored if he could pop by for a drink of hot tea. The night is very cold, and he can park his car behind our shrine instead of the public parking lot down the street.” Kagome’s mother smiled kindly as she patted on the young girl’s shoulder to get her attention.
After Rin had related Mrs. Higurashi’s words to her brother over the phone, the young girl frowned slightly and said in an apologetic voice. “He says he appreciates the gesture, Mrs. Higurashi, but he says he has important business matters to see to, so he’d have to-”
“Oh, it’s no biggie!” Kagome blurted out before she could even hold her tongue. “Besides, having a cup of tea wouldn’t take him too long!”
While Kagome tried to evade her mother’s disapprovingly questioning stare, Rin, who clearly wished for her brother to drop by and interact with the Higurashi family as well, continued to persuade him over the phone.
Finally, she hung up with a bright grin on her face. “He says he will drop by for a while!”
With that said, the Higurashis and Rin went back to what they were doing, until Kagome received a call on her cell phone.
It was a number which she was not quite familiar with, but she knew who it would be. After all, she had been told to expect a call from him, just that she didn’t know when exactly it would come. To think he would actually call on a Friday night…wasn’t the word ‘work’ supposedly taboo on Friday nights?
Hurrying to her room, Kagome answered the phone with her usual professionalism. “This is Higurashi Kagome speaking.”
“Miss Higurashi, this is Nishikawa Sesshoumaru from Royal Spring Hotel…”
She did a double take. The voice…this voice was so familiar. She had heard it somewhere, though what she was hearing over the phone was a lot more formal and rigid than she had remembered the voice to be…
Thirty minutes went by as she soon dismissed the absurd thoughts from her mind and focused on discussing some of the details of the impending charity event with the man on the other line before the doorbell rang. Finally, when they were almost done with the discussion, the door bell rang.
“Kagome, can you get the door?” Mrs. Higurashi called out.
Apparently, Souta and Rin were engrossed in a chess game at that moment, while her mother was busy slicing some fruits to create a simple platter for their guests. Grandpa, on the other hand, was talking to Buyo the cat, lecturing it for rubbing its body against one of his religious artifacts and leaving fur all over it.
“I’ll get the door.” Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear, pressing her thumb over the tiny microphone to prevent Nishikawa Sesshoumaru from hearing the background noises. She was undeniably somewhat a little excited over the prospect of finally meeting Rin’s brother, who also happened to be called Sesshoumaru.
Briskly walking to the door, she started wrapping the phone conversation up. “Yes, Mr. Nishikawa, I’m definitely looking forward to discussing the final program report over the phone with you on Monday. Thank you for taking the time to give me a call, and I hope you have a beautiful weekend…”
Her hand wrapped itself around the chilly door knob and turned it, only for the door to swing open to reveal…
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The door swung open as he said the line which would signify the end of the business call.
“Thank you for your time, Miss Higurashi, and I hope you have a good weekend as well. Goodbye-”
The takoyaki girl.
It was the takoyaki girl from Rin’s high school carnival. She was holding her cell phone to her ear, and in the close proximity, Sesshoumaru could practically hear his own voice from her phone.
Sesshoumaru stared transfixed at the raven-haired girl standing in the doorway, unable to do anything else but stare. It was as if he could not even believe his own eyes.
It really was her, the girl whom he had never failed to think of from time to time, and had regretted on more than one occasion for not asking for her contact.
Now, she was standing right in front of him, in the house where he was supposed to pick his little sister up from. Furthermore, he had even come to this shrine earlier in July to buy a lucky omamori amulet for Rin. He must be looking really stupid at the moment with his facial expression, but the consolation was, her face pretty much mirrored what was on his.
“…goodbye...” Her voice was terribly small, but he heard it loud and clear. How could he not, when she was right in front of him and her voice was coming over the phone in his hand at the same time?
As they continued staring at each other with lips parted slightly in awe, Rin and that little guy friend of hers had walked over to the door from the living room where they had been.
“Sesshoumaru nii-chan!” His sister waved, while the boy hurriedly introduced himself as Higurashi Souta and invited him into the house.
“You…you are…” She started incoherently, staring at him in utmost surprise as she lowered her phone from her ear to end the phone call. Unbelievable would be an understatement; it was almost surrealistic to hear the click of the phone call ending over the line. “Nishikawa…”
“Yes, I am Nishikawa Sesshoumaru, Rin’s brother, and also…” He introduced himself, inclining his head slightly in the direction of the phone in her hand. “You must be Higurashi Kagome…you, umm, sold takoyaki at the high school carnival…”
She could only nod dumbly. It was obvious that she remembered him to be the guy who bought four boxes of takoyaki from her, and was most probably having trouble with associating that uncool and strange man with the cool, collected General Manager of Royal Spring Hotel whom she had been talking to over the phone with regard to official matters.
“Nee-chan, are you going to invite Rin’s brother in or not?” Souta whispered urgently from behind his sister.
“Oh yes, please come in,” The takoyaki girl- no, Higurashi Kagome, seemed to recover from her reverie, politely stepping aside to make way for him. As he stepped into the warm and cozy interior of the humbly-sized house, he was struck once again by how coincidental everything was. “I’m Higurashi Kagome, Souta’s sister. And…I guess you’d know by now…I’m also the Higurashi Kagome from Tomita Electronics’ HR department…”
So that was why she had been present at the high school carnival. Like him, she had turned up at the carnival to show support for her younger sibling. He had been dreaming of meeting her again…to think she had been around him all this while…
“I hope the pot of hydrangea is doing well.” As they walked side by side into the living room where he would meet their grandfather and Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome grew comfortable enough to initiate conversation.
“It sure is. I haven’t had the chance to thank you properly for the flowers. They are very beautiful.” He replied, unable to keep the small smile off his face. “I never thought you’d be the ‘like-minded person’ Rin was talking about…I can’t believe it, all this while, it was actually you.”
She laughed and nodded somewhat shyly, while Rin and Souta practically gaped at each other upon realizing that older siblings knew each other prior to meeting today.
Sesshoumaru took it as a cue to continue. “So…I was wondering if you’d like to have a game of chess. My little protégé told me you’re the one who had taught Souta how to play.”
“Yes, please agree, Kagome nee-chan!” Rin interrupted excitedly, clapping her hands. “Sesshoumaru nii-chan, don’t underestimate your opponent; Kagome nee-chan is really skilled!”
“Woah, this is what we call ‘clash of the titans’!” Souta quipped as his sister nodded in agreement to the request. Grabbing Rin along, they hurried back to the living room. “We will go get the chess board ready!”
Turning back to the girl by his side, who was now sporting a faint cherry hue on her cheeks, Sesshoumaru asked in a quiet voice. “So…is it alright with you if we have a lunch meeting on Monday instead of the originally planned phone discussion?”
The blush grew more distinct, but she nodded shyly anyway.
“How does Osaka cuisine sound to you?” He asked, already having a venue in mind.
“What, takoyaki?” Kagome laughed, catching the poorly concealed grimace on his face.
“I never really liked that stuff,” He admitted with a quiet laugh. “But I would eat those made by you.”
“Well…I could always make them again…after I’m done with the charity event, of course.” She laughed daintily again. “Now, I’d just like to see how good the Nishikawa Sesshoumaru is at Japanese chess.”
Sesshoumaru simply smirked. He was feeling rather confident. After all, he had just beaten Fate at its game.
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The End.