InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Phony Digits ❯ Pig in a Poke ( Chapter 17 )

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

Disclaimer: InuYasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I have nothing.

Chapter Seventeen: Pig in a Poke

"Her name is Rin Taisho."

"What's she like?"

Sango shrugged. "I've never met her. Kohaku seems to think you two will hit it off though."

"What do you think? Should I just go for it? Is that crazy?" Kagome asked.

Sango shook her head. "No, people do it all the time, and my brother is friends with her, so it's not really like you'd be living with a complete stranger."

Kagome nodded. "Do you have her number so I can call her?"

"Yeah," Sango pulled out her phone and searched her contacts for the number her brother had given her, writing it down on a Post-it note and sticking it to Kagome's desk. "And Kohaku said that she is going to take care of finding an apartment, so you don't have to do anything. Apparently her family is in the real estate business or something."

"I hope it's something I can afford…" Kagome fretted.

"Stop worrying." Sango waved off her friends concerns. "My brother gave her your price range. Everything's going to work out just fine." she assured.

"Okay." Kagome's said, but her voice held very little confidence. "I'm going to call her and set up a meeting then."

"Let me know how it goes. I have to find Renji and get to work."

"Okay. Thanks again for helping me with this, Sango. You're a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it!" she called over her shoulder as she exited the office.

Kagome lifted her phone from her desk and dialed her prospective roommates number. It rang several times before a groggy, male voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Oh...um…I-I'm sorry..." Kagome stuttered momentarily as she was caught off guard. "I think I dialed the wrong number."

"Who were you calling?" he asked.

Why does this voice sound so familiar…?

"Umm...I was calling Rin." Kagome answered.

"Hold on." he said, and Kagome could make out some incoherent mumbling that she assumed was muffled by his hand being pressed over the microphone.

She now wished she would have waited until later to call. She had forgotten that most college students weren't up before eight a.m.

"This is Rin." the girl finally answered, her voice raspy from sleep.

"Yes. Hi, Rin. This is Kagome Higurashi. I'm Kohaku Miyahara's sister's friend. The one that's looking for a roommate."

"Oh, yes!" the girl perked up suddenly. "It's so good to hear from you!"

Kagome then clearly heard the girl whisper. "It's your sister's friend."

Ah. No wonder the voice was so familiar… Kagome thought. How interesting...

"So," Kagome continued. "I was wondering if we could meet up sometime and discuss living arrangements."

"So you're on board then?" Rin asked excitedly.

"Yes, I think so."

"Great!" Rin squealed. "How about tonight?"

"Umm…" Kagome considered for a moment before agreeing. "Yeah, great, that sounds good. Where and when would you like to meet?"

"We can meet at the apartment so you can see what you're agreeing to."

"Oh, you already have an apartment lined up?" Kagome asked in disbelief.

"Yes, my dad knows all the strings to pull." Rin said and Kagome only hoped that didn't mean he was a mobster or anything... "He wasn't sure about letting me move off-campus at first, but he changed his mind when I told him you're a cop."

Good. That rules out anything illegal, but...

"Well, I'm not actually a cop, I'm a forensic scientist..."

"To-may-to, to-mah-to." Rin said.

Not really… "Okay, well...what time can we meet?"

"Is eight-thirty too late?" Rin asked. "I'd make it earlier, but Kohaku has a late class."

Guess I'm going to have to start getting use to late nights if I'm going to be living with a college student. "No, that's not too late."

"Great! I'll text you the address! We'll see you then!"

"Okay, bye." Kagome said before disconnecting the call. She leaned back in her desk chair and blew her bangs out of her face. What am I getting myself into?

<<>>

As soon as Kagome arrived at the the apartment building she knew it wasn't even close to being something she could afford. She didn't need to see the inside to know it was well beyond her means. It even had a doorman. A doorman with a little hat and uniform and everything...

She stood outside waiting for Rin and Kohaku to arrive. It was past sundown, but not quite late enough for the crazies to start coming out. She wasn't overly concerned about that though. This part of town was really nice, and while there were criminals everywhere, she ventured to guess that crime was probably low in this particularly upscale neighborhood.

She saw a couple coming her way, and even from a distance she recognized the boy as Kohaku. Well, boy wasn't really an accurate description for him anymore. It had only been about a year and a half since she had seen him last, but his appearance had changed immensely in that short time. He had noticeably matured and lost most of the awkward lankiness of his youth. Although she was somewhat reluctant to admit it, even to herself, he'd grown up to be quite attractive. It seemed he had developed some fashion sense during his time at the university as well.

Kagome lifted a hand and waved at the couple as they approached. Kohaku only nodded, and Rin gave a high and exuberant wave with the hand that wasn't tightly interlaced with Kohaku's.

"Hi!" she called out. "Sorry we're a little late!"

"It's no problem." Kagome called back. "I've only been here a few minutes."

Rin looked around with a furrowed brow as she closed the distance between them. "You're alone?" she asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Aren't you afraid to walk alone in the city at night?"

"Not really." Kagome shook her head.

Rin shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, well, shall we then?" Rin said, stepping towards the door and motioning for Kagome to follow.

"Umm...I should probably tell you," Kagome started, then hesitated.

"What it is?" Rin asked as the doorman opened the door and greeted her .

"Well...I'm worried about the cost...I'm not sure I'll be able to afford the rent on an apartment in this building."

Rin waved her off. "Sure you can. Whatever you can afford, that's what you will pay." she said as the three made their way inside the building and over to the elevators.

Kagome stood stunned. "Umm...well, how much will you pay? If you don't mind me asking."

"Zero dollars a month." Rin answered with a giggle. "Perks of having Grandpa as a landlord."

Now it was all beginning to make sense. Kagome also couldn't help but notice that, despite having an eccentric sense of style, Rin clearly wore only the finest clothing. In fact, Kagome wouldn't be surprised to find that the dress Rin was currently wearing wasn't a one-of-a-kind, tailor made especially for her.

"Oh...well, I don't even know your grandpa. I don't want to take advantage of him." Kagome said. There was a big part of her that did want to take advantage of him though. And the more she saw of this building, the larger that part of her became.

"It's fine. He doesn't want me living alone, so as far as he's concerned, you're doing him a favor." Rin said as the exited the elevators on the second floor of the twelve story building.

They walked a few paces down the hallway and stopped in front of a door marked '2E'. "Well, this is it!" Rin said as she slipped a card from her purse and swiped it through the card reader in the doors handle.

The second they entered the apartment Kagome made her decision. Opportunities like this certainly didn't come along every day, and she was going to take it. This place was amazing. She didn't know all that much about home furnishings, but she knew that hardwood floors, granite countertops and gas fireplaces were all things that people liked to brag about, so they must be good. "I really can't afford to pay more than twelve-hundred." Kagome said as she looked around in awe.

"Then you won't pay any more than that."

"But this place…" Kagome said. "The rent has to be at least five...six thousand…"

"Eight, actually." Rin said. "And did I mention the building has a pool?"

Kagome groaned. "This is going to spoil me, Rin..."

The younger girl gave a mischievous smile. "You only live once."

"That logic can get you into trouble." Kagome responded.

"Good! I love trouble!" Rin replied, slapping her on the back.

Kagome shot a glance over Rin's head to the ever silent Kohaku, and noticed an almost imperceivable smirk on his face. He's mocking me… Kagome thought to herself. Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

"Well, aren't you going to look around?" Rin asked.

Kagome made her way down the hallway and peeked her head into a bedroom. It was just an empty room, but it was spacious. Huge, really, for this part of town. She peeked her head into the next door and found a bathroom with a shower that looked like something straight out of Architectural Digest, and in the corner of the room...a jacuzzi tub. Kagome whipped her head in Rin's direction and almost involuntarily shouted, "I'll take it!"

"Yes!" Rin cheered. "Oh, Kagome. We're going to have so much fun! Just you wait!"

This may turn out to be a huge mistake, but in this moment Kagome really couldn't bring herself to care. She was starting to understand why all those fairy tale characters would sell their soul to the devil. She wasn't sure if she would agree to sell her soul...but damn, that bathroom sure was nice…

Kagome made her way back down the hall towards the entrance. "This place is seriously going to ruin me." she said, shaking her head. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to go back to living like a commoner after living here."

"A commoner…" Rin chuckled. "Marry rich, then." she said with a shrug. "You got the face for it, and you sure as hell got body for it."

Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Kohaku thinks this girl's personality is similar to mine…?

"So, are you hungry?" Rin asked, not seeming to notice Kagome's surprise at her previous statement.

"Uh...I could eat." Kagome said with a shrug.

"Well, would you like to join us for pizza?"

"Um...sure, sounds good." she nodded. She actually thought it sounded like a bad idea to eat pizza this late at night, but she didn't want Rin to think that she was some old, party-pooping hag who was afraid of getting heartburn.

"I know of a great place just down the street from here." Rin said, grabbing Kohaku by the hand and pulling him toward the door.

Kagome followed behind them as they exited, pausing and turning to take one last look at the place where she would soon be living. She let out a wistful sigh as she flipped off the light switch and pulled the door closed behind her.

<<>>

After the three of them entered the restaurant, ordered their food and were seated, Kohaku excused himself to the restroom, leaving the two girls alone at the table.

"Mmm…" Rin gave a sound of appreciation as she watched Kohaku weave his way through the tables toward the bathroom. "Have you ever seen a better ass in your entire life?"

Kagome almost spit out her drink. "Well, I've known him since he was eleven so…"

"Oh right! I'm sorry, I forgot." Rin said, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Way to go, Rin. Make your new roommate uncomfortable on the first day." she scolded herself aloud.

Kagome chuckled. "It's okay, you aren't making me uncomfortable, just caught me off guard is all. So, how long have the two of you been dating?" she asked.

"Since November. Well, exclusively since January."

"Exclusively?"

Rin nodded proudly. "I'm the first girl he's ever dated exclusively. He could get any girl he wants...and has." she added the last bit hesitantly.

"Really?" Kagome said, disbelieving. "But he seems so shy."

"Well, you know what they say..."

"What's that?" Kagome asked, crinkling her brow.

"It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for." Rin said with a wink. "If you know what I mean…" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Kagome wasn't sure she did know what Rin meant...she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "Uh, yeah." she said, chuckling awkwardly.

"So, are you dating anyone?" Rin asked.

"No." Kagome shook her head. "Actually, it's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I've never had a boyfriend before."

Rin's eyebrows shot up in her bangs. "Really? Not even in high school?" she asked disbelieving.

Kagome shook her head again. "No. I moved to the U.S. my first year of highschool and didn't make too many friends until college. Actually, Sango was my only real friend for a long time."

"And what's your excuse now?" Rin said candidly.

"Honestly?" Kagome said. "I'm just too picky, I think."

Rin chuckled. "Nothing wrong with knowing what you want."

"Yeah, but how do you know what you should compromise on and what you shouldn't?"

Rin paused for several seconds in contemplation before answering. "I'm not sure...I think you just know, you know? When the person becomes more important to you than the ideal you've created in your mind...you just know it in your gut." she said, pressing a hand to her stomach. "The important things and the trivial things just kind of sort themselves out...that's just this one girl's opinion though."

Kagome was actually somewhat surprised at how much Rin's advice made sense. Based on her first impression, she hadn't exactly expected such deep thoughts from her. "Have you ever been in love before?" she asked the younger girl.

Rin's eyes were focused somewhere over Kagome's shoulder. "I don't know." she said, and just seconds later Kohaku was returning to the table, effectively ending their conversation.

"Did you have fun?" Rin asked him as he took a seat next to her.

"In the bathroom? What do you think I was doing in there?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh...right…sorry, that's just my default question when someone comes back into a room." she said with a giggle as she leaned into him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

He sent a sideways glance in Kagome's direction, his discomfort at the public display of affection obvious.

"So, Kohaku." Kagome addressed him. "Have you chosen a major?"

He nodded. "Forensic biology."

Kagome's face lit up. "No kidding! Sango didn't even tell me!"

"Well...I haven't actually told Sango yet. I don't want to let her down if change my mind...or fail."

"Why do you think you would fail?" Kagome asked him.

"I'm a little bit worried about the…'hands on' part."

"Oh," Kagome said. "You mean the cadavers?"

Kohaku nodded. "I'm not sure I'll ever be desensitized like my sister is."

"I was worried about that too, but when it comes right down to it, separating the person from the corpse is easier than you might think. I wouldn't say that I ever became desensitized to death like Sango; I just have to make myself think of the body as a clue the person left behind for me to help solve their murder. I guess you could say I'm more detached than desensitized." she said before furrowing her brow in confusion. "But I thought you were interested in writing. What happened with that?"

Kohaku shrugged. "I just decided I needed to focus on something more practical."

"So you chose criminal justice at random?" Kagome asked skeptically, knowing the reason he'd chosen it was to impress his police captain father and homicide detective sister. "You know your dad and Sango want you to be happy more than they want you to impress them, Kohaku."

"Yeah, I know." he said simply and matter-of-factly.

"Well, I'm more than willing to help you with your school work if you ever need any help." she said sincerely. "But the most important advice I can give you is, don't pursue a career in this field if it's not what you really want. Don't do it for anyone other than you."

Kohaku acknowledged her advice with a nod, but said nothing further.

"So, what about you Rin?" Kagome asked, turning her attention to the girl sitting directly across from her. "What are you studying?"

"Art."

"You're an artist?"

"Mmmhmm." Rin nodded.

"What's your medium?"

"Stained glass."

"Oh! I'd love to see your work sometime!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Well, you'll probably be seeing plenty of it when we are living together."

"Oh, right." Kagome slapped her hand to her forehead. "Duh."

Rin giggled. "Speaking of which, when do you want to move in?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Anytime, I suppose."

"Well, how about the day after tomorrow, then? Is that too soon?"

Kagome contemplated for a moment. It was a weekday, but she didn't have that much stuff to move. She could probably wrangle up all the help she needed by then. Shippo had a pickup truck, and he was always willing to lend her a hand. Sango could probably take the morning off and Kouga would cover for her. "Yeah." Kagome nodded. "I think I can do that."

"Yay!" Rin cheered, clapping her hands together. "This is going to be so much fun!"

<<>>

A/N: Thank you to my tumblr friends for your suggestions on Rin's major! I loved them all but decided to go with Inunanna's suggestion of artist, which I think can encompass her love of plants and animals too.