I do not own Inuyasha & Co.

Chapter 1

The Mysterious New Neighbor

Kagome Higurashi sat on her soft tan microfiber couch. She laid her face in her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. Her black hair surrounded her hands and arms as she sighed and shook her head from side to side. Her sighs and gulps of air filled the room. Tears from her brown eyes slicked her hands.

Temping taught her not to trust anyone, nor to make friends at the jobs. The employers tossed her around like a hot gyoza, as they only kept her for a short time. The changes to the economy added sales skills to the Customer Service Rep job description. Her weakest skill was sales. The only type of sales she felt comfortable doing was Retail. However, Retail only offered minimum wage.

Her temp agency called again with another job that did not match her experience. She was torn over it. Only one job came her way since she lost her last one late last year. It revolved around a badly engineered web site laced with lies, assumptions, and no guarantees to their customers. She took the job under the impression it was a Customer Service job. However, the job somehow morphed into a sales position without any notification when a sales rep was fired. She did her best, and tried to help each customer buy the items they were interested in. However, before she knew it, things went sour. Her boss made mistakes, and ran her under the bus.

Kagome told the Temp Agency when she returned the call that afternoon that she did not want to work in Customer Service positions since companies started cutting corners. It had been two months since that job ended, and they called her with a new position in an industry she was not interested in.

She'd gone to the local Unemployment Office earlier that day, and took a seminar regarding funding for school. After working in various offices for ten years she'd come full circle. Her career was going nowhere. After all those ten years, she had no career title, and a confusing resume to show for it. She achieved the basics of her office skills in the certification program she originally went through. But as a failed LTA; she felt melancholy since her achievement, and hot gyoza tossing, only earned her the title of 'Jackie of all trades, and an expert of none.'

She moved into her own apartment after she graduated from college at the age of twenty-two, and felt it was time to leave the nest. The last thing she wanted was to burden her mother any more than she already had, since Sota was in high school. Recently, Sota left for college, and Kagome figured her mother wanted to enjoy the freedoms of being a single woman with her lady friends.

She let her wet hands fall from her face and rest slightly dangling from her knees over the simple, wooden coffee table. She let her dark eyes scan her surroundings; her black mascara and eyeliner smudged around her eyes, the blue shadow on her lids blended in with the black.

"What should I do?" she asked, breaking the silence in the small living room.

She rubbed her hands on a Kleenex, and grabbed her cell phone on the end table beside the couch. She dialed her friend to see if she could get some advice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me." Kagome sniffled into the phone and ran her left hand through her hair.

"Hey, Kagome, what's wrong? Are you crying? What happened?"

"Oh, Eri…I don't know what I'm going to do. I just got the information I needed for the grant, but I was just offered another bum job I more than likely will have issues doing. How would you handle going back to school and working as a temp?"

"Listen, Kagome, we've been through this before. You just have to listen to your heart. You need to make the right choices for you, not for the temp agency. They have more people they can send to this job, so don't let anything stand in your way of going where you want to go."

"I know. I'm sorry to be such a pest. I just… I feel so alone, I guess. You know how I feel when I get confused while I'm alone."

"Yes, I know, sweetheart. I don't mean to sound annoyed, but there's no other way I can put this to you. You can do anything you put your mind to. Plus, if need be, you can do what every other 'between job kids' our age are doing—you can move back in with mom if need be. That way you can work part time on your own steam, go to school full time, and get it over with."

"Move back in with mom? Are you crazy?!" Kagome panted and ran her hand through her long black hair again.

"Yes! I bet your mom misses you, Kagome!"

"Okay, okay…I'll think about it. It's just… I've been independent for so long…"

"Everyone does what they have to these days. Hell, Kanto just had to move back in with his parents the other day, so it's kind of hard to have a relationship like we've been having in that situation."

"Oh no, Eri, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Kagome stood from the couch and started to pace.

"Yeah, it was sudden. He lost his job this past Friday, and since he has no job, and has no idea when he'll find another one, he had to skip out on the lease on his apartment since unemployment won't start in time for him to pay his next rent payment."

"How did he break the lease?"

"Credit card, of course." Eri began to cry as well.

"Oh, Eri…Your situation is worse than mine, and here I'm complaining about confusion over something trivial. I apologize."

"No, it's not your fault. I neglected to call you to let you know since I was helping him move back home a couple towns over. Kagome, just do what you want to do. Either way, whatever happens, you will make it work, I know you will." Eri's smile shined through her voice.

"Thanks, Eri. I wish I had words of comfort for you…"

"It's okay. Look, I gotta go. Kanto's calling on the land line. I'll talk with you later." Kagome heard the rings in the background.

"Okay, tell Kanto I've got my fingers crossed for him. Bye for now, girl."

Eri returned the salutation and Kagome ended the call. She walked across the room to her desk, grabbed an empty piece of paper and the nearest pen. She spent the rest of her evening drawing out the pros and cons of each possible situation.

The next morning, Kagome called the Temp Agency and notified them that she was inactive. She called her mother and was met with an ecstatic greeting. Eri was right; her mother missed her and was dying for a visit.

She took the train home in the early afternoon. She enjoyed the nostalgic walk home from the station and sighed when she arrived at the front door. She knocked, adjusted her white knee-length pleated skirt and red short-sleeved top while she waited. A moment later, the door slid open. Her excited mother wrapped her arms around Kagome, whom she'd missed for so long. After a strong hug, they separated. They tearfully eyed each other and took in the changes that occurred in a little over a year. For ten years, with her heavy work schedule, they'd mainly met for lunch at restaurants.

"My Kagome, you look beautiful no matter what you do." She again took her daughter into her arms and welcomed her home.

"You too Mom." Kagome took in the home she'd left ten years ago. A few changes here and there, but the same for the most part.

Her mother slid the door closed and directed her daughter into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. "So, tell me sweetie, what's new?"

Her mother made her way to the fridge and grabbed a couple teas. She slapped the door closed with her elbow and took the seat opposite from her daughter.

"Oh, I've been having problems with the jobs from the Temp Agency. It's not working out." Kagome pulled the tab on the can and took a sip.

"Oh, my. What are your options?" She took a sip of her tea.

Kagome explained her options and the stress she'd gone through the past couple months. Her mother listened intently. When the room fell silent, she slid her hands across the table, and held her daughter's hands in comfort.

"Mom, I have to ask you for a favor." Kagome averted her eyes to the table.

"Sure, honey, anything you need."

"If I go to school full time to focus my career, I will need a place to stay. You see, I won't be able to work while going to school this time around." She lifted her gaze from the grained wood to her mother's eyes.

"Honey, I would love for you to move back in with me." Kagome released the breath she'd been holding. "This house is too quiet with Sota gone now. How soon would you move in?"

"My lease ends next month. I could move in then." The young woman's eyes lifted for the first time in ages it seemed.

"Great! You can have your old room back. Oh, do you have any furniture to bring over? Or are you leaving it behind?"

"Well, I think I'll make that decision later, mom."

They both sipped their teas and continued talking to catch up the rest of the afternoon. A few hours later, Kagome headed back home to feed her cat, Buyo. On her way out the door, she heard some rock music and strange sounds coming from the neighbor's house off to the left. She turned her gaze and saw a man working out on a workout bench in his backyard. She watched and listened as he panted loudly through his parted lips. His defined muscles pulsed as he lifted and lowered the long, metal barbell clad with large, heavy weights.

"New neighbor; he moved in a few months ago." Her mother gawked around the corner as well.

"What do you know about him?" Kagome's mouth refused to close as he continued.

"Not much. But I see him outside every evening doing something different each time. He seems to keep to himself for the most part. The couple times he greeted me were cordial enough." A smile crept across the mother's lips.

"Wow."

Kagome had no idea how long she'd been watching and didn't seem to care. He soon set the barbell on the holster and sat up effortlessly. He grabbed a clear bottle of water from the end of the bench before him and took a long swig. He was so handsome. She averted her hungry gaze to say goodbye to her mom. She tried not to stare his way when she went down the steps to the sidewalk and turned right toward the train station down the street.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest all the way home as thoughts of the hunk next door went through her head. She'd been interested in guys and met quite a few in college ten years earlier, but hadn't been serious with any of them. Over the years she'd hang out with her friends from high school, Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri. They went to clubs and danced with a few guys here and there. However, her heart never fallen before as it did just an hour earlier.

He was definitely new to the area since she'd never seen him before. He was tall, with well-defined assets and long, silver hair covered in a Bandanna. When he sat up, his wild bangs were plastered on his sweaty forehead and his chiseled chest was glistening. She'd never seen a muscle structure quite as defined as his, and the six pack abs were the icing on the cake. But what caused her to hunger the most were his eyes. Were they gold?