InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remembering You ❯ I don't want it to be you ( Chapter 9 )

"Kaede Baa-chan!" The rusty-haired fox demon bellowed from the hallway where the phone was.

A cranky Kaede could be seen poking her head out from the entrance to the living room. "Good lords! What on earth are you yelling at the top of your lungs about this time? I am in no mood for your nonsense at the moment Shippou."

"I never bother you with nonsense! Everything I say and do is equally relevant and important!"

"Then there is little hope left for you my boy." With that she pulled her head back in the living room to settle herself upon the couch while looking through the inventory list of her store. Yes, even Kaede works, and Shippou helps out. When the question arose of how she would sustain herself, Inuyasha and the rest were willing to sustain her, but she would have none of it. Saying something along the lines of: "I'm too young to be dependent on someone else like an old hag." Everyone else is positive she is in denial or complete delusional. So, with out further dispute an herbal medicine shop was opened with Shippou assisting in running the small but occasionally very busy store.

"What do you mean by that?!" Shippou exclaimed as he threw himself over the back of a couch to sit across from the old woman.

Without looking up from the list she replied, "Last time you got this excited you discovered that Pocky was sold in more flavors besides chocolate."

"Hey! That was a discovery! Kagome had only ever brought me the original chocolate kind. And speaking of Kagome, that's what I'm excited about." He casually swung his bare feet on one end of the couch as he settled his head on the other. Closing his eyes and now humming a tune.

That had gotten Kaede's attention. Her eyes, or eye, wide with surprise. "Did Inuyasha finally go to her?"

Shippou smugly peeked an eye open at her, "Oh now you want to here what I want to say? I thought there was `little hope left for me.'"

"Oh that? That still holds true, but Kagome is someone that concerns me as much as she does you. Now tell me sprout, did Inuyasha finally go see Kagome?"

"Nope."

"No?" She quirked an amused and annoyed eyebrow.

"She went to him."

"She regained her memory before even meeting him?" The old lady seemed surprised, she was always under the impression that it would be something like: Inuyasha finally gets up the nerve to go see Kagome, the eyes lock, then poof! Memory presto.

"Nope."

Well, there goes that theory.

"Then how did Kagome come to meet Inuyasha again?"

Shippou shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure on the tiny details, but Miroku said something along the lines of a `freakish coincidence.'"

"But was it `Memory presto'?"

The full demon looked over at the aged miko strangely, "Huh?"

"Never mind. Did Kagome get her memory back?"

"Yeah, but it seems like some things are out of order. Miroku thinks it might be, because two years of memories being regained is too much for the mind to handle easily. But he also thinks that she'll be fine after awhile."

Nodding her head in understanding she laid the list on the coffee table in between them. "This is much to take in, and much to finally give a sigh a relief about. I think I need a night's rest, I shall go give this information a night's sleep and think more upon it tomorrow."

"Can we go see her tomorrow?" Shippou asked with eagerness.

Kaede smiled kindly but answered, "I am not too sure about such rash actions. If memories are chaotic in her mind, we do not want to strain her with so much more. But, you may call Inuyasha in the morning to ask if we may go see her. If anyone were to know the well being of Kagome, beside herself, it would be him. Well, I bid you good night Shippou."

"Okay. Night Kaede Baa-chan."

With that the old miko left the room, Shippou stared up at the ceiling. After a long moment of silence a grin stretched across his face. "Kagome's back. . ."

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"Why am I leaving you at the curb again?"

Kagome get out a slightly irritated sigh. "Didn't we go over this yesterday morning? Getting out of the boss' car early in the morning makes it seem like I'm the slut that slept her way to the top."

"I don't think you're a slut." Inuyasha replied as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Whoopee for me."

The previous night's events did not put a damper in their rekindled friendship. Kagome was eternally gratefully that Inuyasha had yet to make a comment about him becoming her first love, or the love her life. What was she supposed to answer if a question arose? It just kind of slipped out? Yup, smooth, real smooth.

Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha trying to figure out what was going through that head of his, but alas his face expressionless and only concentrating on the road. Looking out the window to the passing city scenery she tapped her nails against the armrest.

Hearing the clicking sound of nails stop Inuyasha glanced over at her this time and saw the bored expression upon her face. What did she mean last night about the love of her life? Did she mean it? He looked over at her again as she was now picking dirt out from under her nails. "Oh that's attractive. That's what every guy wants to see, a beautiful girl picking at her nails."

She faced him innocently, "What? I had gunk under there."

He let out a sigh. Maybe what she said last night was a fluke.

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"Then you have a meeting at eleven with Mr. Ishibashi, he's concerned about his account again."

Inuyasha whipped his head with an annoyed expression to Miss Imai that had been telling him the day's schedule. "Again?! That man comes in here every week worried about his money! With close to a hundred billion yen securely tucked away, you'd think that man would kick back and relax with his money." He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, "Anything else?"

Miss Imai continued to read through the list of things he had to do that day, and the deadlines he had to meet. It seemed like it was going to be a busy day for the modernized hanyou.

"Oh, and you're having lunch with your brother."

"Really?"

He was surprised to say the least. Sure, Seshoumaru and he now got along as brothers should, or brothers that were once sworn enemies ever could, but having lunch? That was reserved as an annual event where Seshoumaru came to be civil, mostly because Rin forced him to. Can you say whipped?

"Why am I eating lunch with the ice king?"

"He said something about a miko friend that recently woke from a coma. Or was it a friend that was in a coma that miko woke up? Maybe a coma's friend that needed a miko? I'm not entirely certain but I'm sure your brother with tell you all about it."

Slapping his hand against his forehead he gave a frustrated sigh, "Isn't it your job to keep me organized?"

The forty-year-old woman tilted her head to the side, "I thought I was your secretary."

"But isn't it in a secretaries job description to keep me organized?"

She gave shrug, "Don't look at me Mr. Touken, I just answer the phone and get you coffee."

"Fine. Is there anything else?" The sooner the woman left the sooner his blood pressure from stress would go down.

"The photos you wanted developed arrived." She handed the white envelope toward him, "Like you wanted, I didn't take a peek and the boy that delivered it assured me that `THE photo guy' developed it and was the only one to have seen the pictures,"

"Thanks Miss Imai, I'll buzz you if I need anything else."

She bowed slightly and left out the door but gave a final comment before she closed the door behind her, "Don't forget about your brother! And no, you can't cancel on him."

"Fine!" He growled at the phone, the device he was about to use to call up his sibling to cancel and to ask what the hell he wanted. But alas, a middle-aged human woman wouldn't let him. . . Why the hell was he listening to her anyways?

Inuyasha grabbed the receiver and dialed the number to Seshoumaru's cell. His brother was constantly out and about, rarely in his office, always going after another piece of old junk. . . he calls them artifacts. Keh.

The other line was promptly picked up after the fourth ring, just a ring before going to voicemail. "What do you want Inuyasha? I was hoping you would give up after the third ring, but you were persistent. . . Are you in jail? Again?"

"Hey that was a one time thing!"

"Calm yourself, now what do you want? Contrary to popular belief my days don't revolve around you so get on with it."

The cold voice of Seshoumaru washed over Inuyasha and he quickly shook it off. After knowing a guy for a couple of centuries they lose their intimidation, then again Inuyasha was never afraid of anything. That courage of was also the thing that got him in trouble most of the time.

"I'm canceling our little lunch-in, our annual lunch date isn't for another four months. I don't need you to be spoiling my meal just because you feel like it. Anything you want to tell me, you can tell me over the phone."

"It's about that miko of yours."

"I know, Miss Imai told me. But I still don't see why you can't tell me right now."

Letting out an uncharacteristic sigh Seshoumaru replied. "It's not just what I can tell you but what I can give you. I came across an artifact that is probably about your little miko, it's about what she is an reincarnation of."

There was pregnant silence, "I'll meet you at twelve."

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"And Mr. Ishibashi?"

Kagome racked her mind for an answer when it quickly popped in her head, "He's the paranoid one!"

"Very good Kagome-kun! I'm so proud of you, learning the names of our clients so quickly!" Mr. Williams wiped away a mock tear, "My little girl is all growing up."

She smiled as she leafed through Mr. Ishibashi's file once again, "At least you can retire in peace. . . Hey Mr. Williams, why is it that Mr. Ishibashi is so paranoid? He's wealthy enough to feed Tokyo, buy an island that has imported giraffes running around, and lazy back on the beach for the rest of his life. I doubt his money is going to disappear on him."

Mr. Williams smiled at Kagome's antics, although her exaggeration was partially accurate. "His parents were rich and living in America during the stock market crash, they lost all their life saving that were nestled into banks when they suddenly closed down. They went through difficult times and their life didn't look up when the Second World War started. Since they were Japanese, they were constantly discriminated. And so, they sneaked away on an oil tanker back to Japan. Mr. Ishibashi himself was born a year after their return. The war ended and they became modestly rich, some of their savings still within a bank that proved to be reliable."

"Touken Ginkou?"

"Yes, and Mr. Ishibashi took their modest richness and became ostentatiously wealthy. I guess his parents pounded their experiences into the man's head. He's as paranoid as anyone from the Great Depression and also a major packrat. Since his parents got back on their feet in Japan because of this bank he remains loyal to it, but he worries anyways."

Setting down the file on the desk in front of her she rested her elbow on the armrest and tilted her chin against the resting arm. "What a peculiar man."

"You'll be meeting with said peculiar man in about ten minutes."

"What?! Why?!" Kagome whipped up her head with wide eyes at Mr. Williams.

"He comes in every week to check up on his account with Mr. Touken. Miss Imai contacted me this morning about that, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for you to go in my place." He good-naturedly smiled and walked around the table to hand the file back to her. He gestured for her to stand up when she did he steered her out by her shoulders.

Before he closed the door she spun around in panic, "But I'm not ready! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

He smiled, "I wanted you to be on your toes. Not everything is going to be able to be planned out before hand."

"On my first try?" She asked exasperated.

"No better time then the present."

And so she was gently pushed out of the office and the door closed. She gulped down a nervous knot in her throat, "Oh crap."

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The gray-haired short little man twitched in his seat as Inuyasha was bringing up the man's account on his computer. Inuyasha glanced over at the fidgety man, "You know, Mr. Ishibashi, your account probably hasn't changed much since last week."

"That might be true, but we can never be too sure about next week. If I see signs of the economy going down the drain within the next few days I have to be prepared."

Giving a bored sigh Inuyasha looked over at the computer screen that was finally loaded, "Well, from the looks of it your balance is stable and actually slowly increasing since you never seem to spend a cent of your money."

"I can rest easily now. . . might I get a print out of my weekly report?"

The hanyou nodded and printed the document out. It was the same every week, he would ask about the account then say he was relieved it was fine then he would ask for a print out. And write on schedule Mr. Williams would be walking through the mahogany double doors and reassure the quirky Mr. Ishibashi that his overseas investments were doing well. That man is going to be more rich dead then when alive, whoever inherits him is a lucky son of a gun.

As the page was printing the door opened. "Hey Mr. Willa- Kago- Miss Higurashi?" Inuyasha was surprised to say the least. "What are you doing here? What about Mr. Williams?"

She gave a professional don't-mess-with-me-now smile, "Mr. Williams sent me down, saying that this is the best time to get acquainted with Mr. Ishibashi."

The skinny little man stood up from his chair and shook hands with Kagome that had made her way over to him. Mr. Ishibashi barely reached Kagome's shoulder and proved to be a comical sight when he gave a slight bow as he shook her hand. "Please to meet you Miss Higurashi. Not to sound rude, but may I know your position in Touken Ginkou?"

Smiling down at the tiny man she responded politely, "I will be taking over Mr. Willaims' job when he retires. I will be the person you come to from now on when concerning your foreign investments."

Giving a genuine grin he nodded, "It is nice to know that at least someone will be there to take over the spot. . . although I am still a bit skeptical on your credibility seeing that you are so young after all."

"I understand completely. If I myself was in your place I would not so quickly trust a new employee either, I hold no offence."

Inuyasha spoke up, "Rest assured Mr. Ishibashi. I wouldn't hire an airhead into a high position in the bank. And if you're still worried about her credentials you can visit Mr. Williams. He's completely convinced that she's the ultimate prodigy."

The girl that was praised, in the most unusual way, glared flatly at the silver haired young man. "Thanks for that Mr. Touken." Looking back to Mr. Ishibashi she put on a more serious face. "Now, back to business. I wanted to talk to you about your Haitian sugarcane investments. So far, that market has done well to be stable and never dip down in price; however, I recommend selling your stock share tomorrow at the market. Then buy up some stock on the Procter and Gamble branch located in Cincinnati, Ohio."

"Cincinnati? Where the hell is Ohio?" Inuyasha asked as he listened in on Mr. Ishibashi and Kagome.

She glanced over at Inuyasha and let out a sigh, "Ohio is a state in the United States, it's located in the Midwest. Cincinnati is a city there."

"How do you know about a P&G branch in a small city like that?"

"It's my job to know. Now, Mr. Ishibashi, about your investments."

The squinty old smiled, "I like the way you think Miss Higurashi. I appreciate how you already had something lined up for me after suggesting to me to drop the Haitian sugarcanes. You treat me like you've known me for so long. . . but, I would like to know. . . why do you recommend that I sell my stocks?"

"A hurricane will hit the Caribbean, specifically Haiti. With the small drought that's been going on in Haiti, the sudden massive rains from the hurricane would no doubt destroy the plantations."

"A hurricane? I didn't hear any news of a hurricane." Mr. Ishibashi inquired as he sat at the edge of his seat.

"Trust me on this Mr. Ishibashi, a hurricane will strike."

After what seemed like a long moment of thought the petite man nodded, "Very well. I'm still not rally sure about you, but since my Haitian investments are not that large, I'll take your word for it. I'll go done to the market in the morning when it opens. If this turns out the way you predicted I can see a bright friendship between the two of us." Glancing at his watch his eyes grew wide in panic, "Oh dear! I have to be heading down to the hospital for my check up." Facing Inuyasha he bowed, "I'll see you next week Mr. Touken and Miss Higurashi, it was a pleasure meeting you." Quickly shuffling out the door without waiting for a response Kagome and Inuyasha were left alone.

Kagome looked blankly at the door the tiny man left out of, "That was. . ."

"Weird?" Inuyasha finished for her as he closed down Mr. Ishibashi's account window. "Get used to it, he's always like that. You'll be going through the same thing next week."

"I know, he's the paranoid little old man." She seemed to contemplate something and she gave a nod after coming a decision, "I like him."

Glancing over at her from the computer screen he raised an eyebrow, "He's not a bad guy, but after having him come in every week asking the same questions for thirty years you kinda get annoyed."

Tilting her head back to give a slight stretch she gave a sigh, "Well, I guess it's back to training with Mr. Williams." As she stood up a question popped into her head, "Why doesn't anyone wonder why you don't age? You've known Mr. Ishibashi for thirty years and he doesn't think it's suspicious?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "The question never came up with the human clients, and youkai ones just think that I'm one of the slower aging youkais."

"How convenient for you." She responded sarcastically. She headed toward the door but before she turned the knob she turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be going home early today."

"Huh? Why?"

"Mr. Willaims is making me. He says that I need to have a life outside of work so I agreed to leave by six."

She was about to leave out the door when he replied, "I'll swing by your office at six then."

"You don't have to do that."

Inuyasha smirked, "It's Friday I should at least take you out. That's what people in your time do right?"

She looked at him as if he just confessed that he wet his bed, "It is your time too you know."

He gave a genuine rare smile, "I guess it is."

Shaking her head Kagome shut the door behind her.

Inuyasha basked in the revelation and continued grinning, "I'm from Kagome's time."

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