InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Always ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

I do not own Inuyasha or anything related to it. Therefore, there's no need to sue me or any of that nonsense. Thank you!

Summary: Inuyasha is a business man with no desire to run the family business, known for his mean streak and sour attitude. Inuyasha becomes the object of many people's hatred. Kagome is a mother of two, doing everything she can to give her children a better life. But when Inuyasha suffers an accident and loses all memory of the last ten years, can Kagome show him what love is or will Inuyasha's past ruin a second chance he was given at life?

Kagome sighed heavily after getting inside the diner. It was freezing inside, and the fact that she was soaking wet didn't make it any better. She shivered uncontrolably as she walked to the back to dump her stuff with Sango's, surprised that she hadn't seen her yet. On cue, Sango came bounding into the back, throwing herself onto her friend.

"Wow, you're soaked, babygirl." Sango peeled herself away from her friend, looking at her clothes. "Why didn't you call me before you left your house?"

Kagome shrugged, "I thought I could make it here before the rain got too bad." Kagome dropped her bag into Sango's locker. "It would have been so much worse if I hadn't gotten a ride from some guy." Kagome tried to think of a better way to put that, but she couldn't.

"Some guy?" Sango raised a brow at her.

"Yeah, some guy. He was nice enough to stop and pick me up, but he never gave me his name." Kagome thought about the gorgeous, golden eyed, silver haired man that had given her a ride. "He was so gorgeous, Sango. It was unbelievable. There's no way somebody can be that sexy and be straight. It's just not possible." Kagome went into full detail, describing the man that had given her the ride, and Sango was going weak at the knees just thinking about him.

"That man sounds beautiful. Oh, the things I would do to him in my bed." She sighed heavily, "But, I can never meet a decent men, ever." Kagome giggled.

"Aw, come on, Sango. Not every guy you date is a total freak." Kagome teased her friend. Sango had a lot of trouble with guys lately. They were either overly clingy, some kind of stalker, or extremely perverted.

"Yeah, right. And my tits are small." Sango replied sarcastically, gripping at her large breasts.

"Well, yours are bigger than mine! So be happy about that!"

"Just barely! And your ass is way bigger than mine!" Sango laughed, slapping Kagome on the butt. Kagome squealed and followed Sango out to the floor. The diner was a fairly decent size, capable of seating nearly 500 people at once, but rarely did it get full. Currently, Kagome had five tables waiting for her and Sango only had three.

I was right. It's going to be a long day. Kagome dropped her head, with a sigh. The first table she went to was an elderly couple. They were celebrating their 49th anniversary by coming to the place they first met. Kagome happily took their order and congratulated them. Her next table was a group of rude, rich teenagers. They teased her and order so many different things, and then changed what they ordered, it angered her. If only, I could beat the crap outta rude people. My life would be so easy! Kagome finally managed to get their order taken and quickly walked away. At Kagome's final table was beautiful, cream skin woman, and a long, brown mane that fell in layers. Her greyish-green eyes studied the menu intently, even as Kagome walked up.

The woman looked up at Kagome with a warm, friendly smile. Kagome returned her smile happily then said, "Hello, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing great. I could do without the rain messing up my hair though."

"I know, I had to walk in that mess. Not the greatest experience of my life." The woman giggled, which made Kagome feel at ease. "My name's Kagome and I'm going to be your waitress. What can I get for you?"

The woman looked at the menu one more time before answering, "A sweet tea, and the Sirloin, done medium-rare, and onions, but I want a baked potato instead of the rice." The woman smiled up at Kagome, and she jotted down everything she had been told.

"Okay, I'll have that out for you soon and I'll be right back with your tea." Kagome took the menu from the lady and the woman mouth 'Thank you'.

"Kagome! Come here for a sec!" It was Kagome's boss, Morimoto, nobody knew his first name, they never bothered to find out either.

"Coming!" Kagome slipped into the kitchen really quick, told the cook her order and walked to her boss' office. "Yeah boss?"

"I need you to work the night shift tomorrow. Yukari had an emergency and had to leave town. She won't be back for a couple of days, so I need you to cover her shifts." Kagome stared at her boss with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"But, Morimoto, I'm supposed to start morning shift  this week."

"Well, you'll have to cover both shifts then." Morimoto said without a second care.

"That's almost 16 hours!" Kagome clenched her fists. This man didn't care about anything but his money.

"I'm sorry, but you'll just have to suck it up." Morimoto shooed her from his office with a wave of his hand. Kagome stormed from his office, grabbed a glass of tea and walked back out onto the floor. The woman spotted Kagome, but she instantly knew something was wrong with her.

"Are you okay, dear?" The woman said as Kagome set down her tea.

"Yes, I-I just really hate my boss right now."

The woman looked at her seriously, "Sit down." She gestured from the seat across from her. Kagome was about to refuse but the woman took her hand and led her to the chair.

"I really shouldn't be sitting down. I'll get in trouble."

"Let me handle that. What happened with your boss?" The woman sipped her tea quietly, waiting for to Kagome to explain.

"He's just a jerk. I was supposed to start working morning shift this week but one of our other waitresses had to leave town for a couple of days, and now I have to cover her shifts as well while she's gone. Which is like 16 hour days!" Kagome sighed and sunk into her chair.

"It sounds like you need a new job, sweetheart." The woman giggled at her. "My name's Rin." The woman held out her hand, which Kagome happily shook.

"I do need a new job, but I make decent money here, and I really can't afford to work for less because of my children." Kagome ran her long, slender fingers through her black mane.

"Oooh, children! I love children! Tell me about them!"

"Well, I have a six year old boy named, Shiro. He's a little ball of energy. He's like the damn Energizer bunny, I swear! Then, there's my four year old daughter, Sakura. She's a real mommy's girl. She always wants to do everything I do, or stay up late and wait for me to come home from work."

"They sound delightful." Rin smiled at Kagome. "See? You need a job that'll focus around you and your family. What's the point of working your ass off for your family if you never get to see them?" Kagome shrugged. "I mean, your job should make a schedule that'll fit your life, not the life of their company. That's the problem with businesses these days, no care for their employees whatsoever." Rin sipped her tea once again and continued, "Tell me, Kagome. What do you want to do with your life?"

Kagome stared blankly at Rin, she had been rambling for nearly ten minutes about business and related subjects before finally taking a breath, "Uh, I never really thought about it. After I finished high school, I went to Cullinary school, but dropped out when I had Shiro. Then I started taking waitressing jobs and have been doing that ever since. I never really have time to do anything besides work now. I feel terrible because I never spend time with my kids." Kagome's eyes teared up slightly thinking about her two kids.

"Where's their father? If you don't mind me asking."

Kagome dropped her eyes to the table, shaking her head slightly. "He disappeared a month or so after Sakura was born. We had problems before Shiro was born and he had left for awhile then, but he came back. Things were good until he found out that I was pregnant with Sakura. I haven't seen or heard from him since." Kagome plastered a vague smile on her face, "I don't regret a single second of that relationship because it gave me my beautiful kids."

Rin took Kagome's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You don't need to be in this place, dear."

"Higurashi!" It was Morimoto yelling from the kitchen, "I didn't hire you to sit and talk to customers! You have other tables!"

"I'm sorry, I really have to go-" Kagome went to stand but Rin caught her arm.

"Sit." Rin eyed her sternly, "Now." There's was something in Rin's eyes that told Kagome that she didn't want to disobey her. So, she sat and waited for her boss to yell more, but it was Rin that started yelling. "Morimoto! Come out here now!" Morimoto stuck his bald held out from behind the kitchen door, eyeing Rin carefully.

"Who are you?" He asked as he walked up, grinning at Rin dumbly.

"That doesn't matter right now. I've been sitting here talking to this lovely lady," Rin gestured at Kagome, who was dark red from blushing. Everyone in the place had turned their attention to them, "And she has informed me of the schedule you gave her for the next few days."

"What I do with my employess and their schedules is my business." Morimoto growled at Rin, but she only smiled.

"Now, that may be true, but I think I could offer her alot better." She turned to Kagome with a smile, "Let's say, triple the pay, with half the hours, plus tips." Kagome's eyes widened.

This lady can't be serious. There's just no way. I don't have that kind of luck. Kagome began to shake her head, but Rin stopped her.

"Sounds too good to be true for a woman in situation, doesn't it? But, it's all true." Rin glared at Morimoto, "Did you even know she has children that this job keeps her from?" Morimoto shook his head angrily, "I didn't think so. You care nothing for the employees you hire hear, only the money you can make off of them. Therefore, Miss Kagome, I am offering you a job." Rin smiled evilly at Morimoto then back to Kagome. "My name is Rin Takahashi." Morimoto's eyes widened as he recognized the name, "I'm the General Manager of the most successful restaraunt in town. Shikon No Tama."

Kagome's swelled up with tears and her cheeks got puffy, "This can't be real."

"Oh, but it is. Sweetheart. Every bit of it." Rin looked at Morimoto and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I'd like you to come tomorrow at noon. You can meet the owner and some of the employees. Now, go home. This is no longer your job." With that, Rin handed Kagome her tip and left the table. She never ate her food.

Kagome stood from the table. Her body was numb and her mind kept replaying the scene that just happened. Now, she has a new job. A better job, apparently, and she was going home after being at work a couple of hours. At least now, I can take Shiro and Sakura out for ice cream. Maybe, Sango will take me home. As she walked back to get her stuff, Sango pulled her aside into the freezer.

"What's this I hear about you quitting?" Sango's breath was visible in front of Kagome's face.

"I didn't quit, Sango. Some lady offered me a job. Well, it wasn't really an offer. She told me to show up tomorrow at Shikon No Tama at noon." Kagome started to shiver from standing in the freezer for so long. "But, I was wondering if maybe you could give me a ride home?"

"No way! Let me go with you tomorrow! I'm off! Yeah, I'm leaving because it's slow anyway." Sango pushed Kagome out of the freezer, and they quickly went to gather their belongings.

"I'm going to work, Sango! Not to visit with Rin." Kagome stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Oh, fine. And I thought you loved me." Sango nudged Kagome's arm with a smile on her face.

"Oh, shut it, Sango!" Kagome slapped Sango's arm as they left the diner. Sango drove a little, beat up beetle. It's red paint had faded long ago, small dents covered a majority of the body and the right back window was cracked. The drive was filled conversation and laughter. Kagome's mind drifted back to the gorgeous man that had given her a ride earlier in the day. Just thinking about the man's beautiful, golden eyes made her blush heavily, which didn't go unnoticed by Sango. Kagome's mind fully wandered to tomorrow when she had to show up at Shikon No Tama. She's was both excited and scared about this opportunity that was thrust upon her in a sense, but even then, she refused to mess it up. This could change her life completely, but she'll let that worry her tomorrow.

Inuyasha shut the door to his condo, threw his keys on the table, went to the fridge and popped open a beer. His condo was filled with his paintings. Most of the finished ones were hung on the walls, some sat in a pile because there was no wall space. Dozens of easels were set up throughout the condo, each one holding an unfinished painting or drawing. He never had vistors,  except Miroku, so Inuyasha never bothered to put away any of the paintings or his supplies. This was his personal sanctuary, his haven. Miroku was the only person to set foot in his condo since he had first moved in nearly seven years ago, and he liked it that way. He didn't have to deal with people, he didn't have to deal with TGE, all he worried about were his paintings.

The rain had lightened up, but Inuyasha could still hear it lightly splash against his windows. He stopped and stared at one painting that he had begun his first year at art school. It was a painting of his ex-girlfriend Kikyo. She was surrounded by streaks of white, pink and red. She stood naked against the colors, but covered up in a way the was so elegant. She look positively radiant and beautiful. Behind her, Inuyasha had begun to paint angel wings, but he had redone it many times over the years, simply because he felt it was never good enough.

Inuyasha sat painting swirls of blue and green around Kikyo's naked body on the canvas. He was painting the portrait of Kikyo for their anniversary. They had been together since middle school, so Inuyasha wanted to do something special for her, and he thought she would love this. It was nearly two in the morning, and he had been painting for several hours already. He stood from his chair and grinned at his work so far.

"I hope she loves this." Inuyasha said to himself as a soft knock sounded at the door, quickly slipping on a shirt, he walked over and answered the door. A gnawing feeling attacked his stomach as he opened the door fully, revealing to officers at his door.

"Are you Inuyasha Takahashi?" One of the officers asked, showing his badge out of procedure.

"Yes. Is there a problem officers?" Inuyasha eyed them questioningly, the feeling in his stomach getting worse.

The officers shot each other a glance, then one spoke with a soft voice, "I'm sorry, Mr. Takahashi. It's Kikyo..."

Inuyasha's whole world had come crashing down on him that night. The officers informed him that Kikyo had been on the way to the airport for her flight to Hong Kong, but had gotten sideswiped by a trailer, whose brakes had a failed. Kikyo didn't die on impact, but she had severe head trauma and internal bleeding. By the time rescue crews were able to pull her from the wreckage and put her in the ambulance, she was gone. Inuyasha wiped tears from his eyes as he thought of that night. After that, he tried everything he could to make the painting of Kikyo absolutely perfect. After nearly twelve years of painting the portrait, Inuyasha was pleased with the way it was turning out.

Inuyasha sat in front of one of the few blank canvases he had left, removing his shirt and tie so they wouldn't get dirty. He set up his paints and began to painting random swirls of yellow and purple along the edges of the canvas. Most of the time, Inuyasha painted the outer edges of the canvas first to decide what the portrait's subject would be. Inuyasha peered away from the canvas to the window, it was still early in the day but it looked as if it were dusk already. His pocket began to vibrate, which immediately ruined his mood.

"Takahashi." That was Inuyasha's answer for his phone. He never got personal calls. They were all business.

"Inuyasha. It's Sesshomaru." His brother's voice echoed through the receiver. Sesshomaru voice held no sign of emotion as he spoke to Inuyasha.

"What do you want?" His relationship with his brother was neither hostile nor friendly. There were only a few rare occasions when they showed their feelings to each other. The last time Sesshomaru showed any kind of feeling towards his brother was after the Kikyo accident.

"Mother wishes to see you at the merchant's market near your condo."

"It's raining. What is she doing out there?" Inuyasha had downed the rest of his beer, and began slipping into more comfortable clothes.

"I've no clue, brother. Just get down there and see what she wants." Before Inuyasha could reply, Sesshomaru had hung up. Inuyasha already knew why Sesshomaru called. Their mother had called Sesshomaru asking to see him down at the market, but instead Sesshomaru called Inuyasha and told him to go.

"Asshole." Inuyasha muttered to himself, grabbing his keys and darting out the door to meet his mother at the Merchant's Market about a mile or so from his condo.

A rush hour hit Shikon No Tama a couple of hours after Miroku's lunch with Inuyasha. He was currently helping his gourmet chefs with the Italian cuisine. With nearly ten years of culinary arts school on his record, it was obvious that he had the most experience. Miroku was busy cooking an Italian dish, when a hostess walked back to the kitchen to find him.

"Sir, Rin is on the phone for you." The hostess, Kusano, yelled out to Miroku, not wanting to fully enter the kitchen.

"Thank you, Ku." He called back, then turned to Kasuke, the chef he was helping, "Can you handle this for a few minutes on your own?"

"Yes sir." Kasuke grinned up at Miroku, then began cutting a variety of vegetables for his next dish. Miroku nodded and strolled back to his office. His office was small, with a mahogany 'L' shaped desk in the center of the office, the walls were lined with filing cabinets, and pictures of various different landmarks filled all the remaining wall space.

Miroku sat behind his desk and picked up the phone, "Rin? Where are you?"

"Well, hello to you too, Miroku. I was out recruiting a new waitress." Rin was driving to the Takahashi Manor. She and Sesshomaru lived there with Izayoi, Inuyasha had moved out in college and never moved back. He felt it was less stress on him if he lived alone with his paintings.

"Rin, I already told you about doing that. You can't just go out and promise someone a job. They need to go through the application process." Miroku was rubbing his forehead.

"I know, Miroku, but this girl won't let us down. I can feel it. She told me alot about her and her family. I think this job will help her, and she has waiting experience. Just trust me, will you?"

"Fine, Rin. This is the last time you do that without consulting me first. The last three you brought to me were completely inexperienced. I'm all for giving people chances, but I can't afford to lose business over it. Inuyasha will chew my head off." Miroku remembered the last time Inuyasha found out what Rin had done. They both received the lecture from hell, consisting of lots of yelling on Inuyasha's part.

"Yeah, I remember. I was there. He's my brother-in-law, let me deal with him."

"He's also the reason we have this restaraunt." Two years after Miroku graduated Culinary school, Inuyasha bought and renovated an old building a few blocks away from TGE. After almost a year of renovation, Shikon No Tama was complete and was given to Miroku as a graduation gift. His very own restaraunt. The only condition that Inuyasha gave Miroku was that Rin was to be the General Manager. Shikon No Tama had become the most critically acclaimed location in the city, within months of it's grand opening, and it was because of Inuyasha that it was all possible.

"Rin, I need you to come in for a couple of hours. I had to send Matsu home." Miroku had logged into his computer and gone through Matsu's files. She had a habit of leaving early when things got really busy, but Miroku really like having her there. He rather fond of the attention she gave him, so he refused to fire her.

"Again? Miroku, you really need to stop letting her do that. I know she's going to call you later so she can 'make it up to you' for leaving early." Everyone knew Miroku had a weakness for beautiful women, and those women had no problem with letting Miroku have his way with them. "Just because a girl throws her pussy at you, doesn't mean she should get away with everything at work."

"Rin, I know you throw yourself at Sesshomaru when you want something from him. So, your agruement is invalid."

"That's different! He's my husband. I can throw my pussy at him all I want! And he'll accept it with open arms! Or sometimes an open mouth." Rin giggled on the other side of the receiver, while Miroku gagged.

"I really didn't need to know all that. So, can you come in or no?"

"Yes, I'll be there in a few."

"Thank you. See you in a bit." Miroku hung up the phone and returned to the kitchen. He stopped just before getting to his grill. He looked around at the most amazing gift he had ever been given. Inuyasha Takahashi was probably the most amazing friend that Miroku had. Miroku had told Inuyasha of his dreams of owning his own restaraunt years before he graduated Culinary school, and Inuyasha had made that dream come true, without any questions. People hated Inuyasha because of his bitter attitude, but he had only become bitter after being forced to run a multi-billion dollar corporation. If one was to look at Inuyasha, without knowing who he was, you would think he was another average guy. He didn't boast about his company, he didn't drive a fancy car, he didn't dress like a business man, unless he was at work. On top of everything else, Inuyasha secretly donated millions of dollars to charities around the globe. Only Miroku knew about the secret donations because Inuyasha refused to let anyone see him as weak.

Miroku smiled to himself, Things will work out for Inuyasha. I just know it. And with that last thought, Miroku returned to his grill that was now completely full with awaiting orders. "Kasuke!" Miroku shook his head as he began the process of catching up on his orders. Damn, that boy. Miroku grinned to himself, thinking of how he used to be.