An Unexpected Love Story

Part Two: Chapter Thirteen

Part Three: Paris

Chapter Thirteen:

"We should have Craig and Stella over for dinner." I suggest over another beautiful breakfast. After living only two weeks in the apartment we have made ourselves as at home as possible, given the circumstances.

Sesshoumaru folds the edge of the newspaper down and looks at me.

"You do realize we don't own any furniture. Right?"

"We have furniture!" I argue taking another bite of toast.

"A mattress on the floor and a stove does not count as owning furniture."

In his defense our apartment is actually very bare. We have no comforts of home here, and everything is borrowed. This is not our mattress or our kitchen in Maine. The small townhouse we shared briefly was more of a home then the apartment in this foreign city.

"Come on I think we should. Or better yet, let's have a party. We can invite Craig and Stella, as well as the people from the museum, even the other neighbors." I know he's smiling from behind the paper.

I just have this amazing way of convincing him.

xxx

With the people invited, the wine bought, and the menu chosen. Sesshoumaru and I spend the whole day leading up to our party speaking French and cooking.

"You speak like you're disgusted. Just be happy our guests speak English too." I roll my eyes.

"Whatever. Gramps and mom called today. They say Japan is beautiful right now. Souta and Ayumi are still together, the shrine is busy which is good, and they want us to come visit." I look down into the chopped onions. I haven't told them about Sesshoumaru just yet. I really should have when they called, but I didn't. They miss me, and want me to come home, but I'm not ready yet. I'm still running from my fears.

I haven't outran some of them yet.

"I can't go back yet." I tell the onions before throwing them into the pan, along with all of my worry.

xxx

"You need to lift your end more."

"I am! I am! Maybe if we went through your clothes we could fit it in the closet better!" We bicker, lifting and shoving the mattress into the teeny tiny little closet in the small, cramped 'bedroom'. Although our bedroom is also our living room, dining room, and also the kitchen.

"Done!" I push my bangs off my face while Sesshoumaru checks on our appetizers.

Never did I ever see myself living with Sesshoumaru in Paris...

I give a small stifled laugh as he leans over the oven, apron on. He dons oven mitts, taking our finished appetizers from the oven and placing them on the stove top.

Closing the minuscule gap between him and me, I reach up wrapping my arms around his neck, tangling my hands in his hair. This sudden and bold gesture catches him off guard. I hear his breath hitch in his chest ever so slightly. I take this as my cue to pull away.

He catches hold of my waist, arm snaking around, and hand resting on my hip. He holds me close, so close, that I can feel his chest rise and fall against my own. With no space between us I can feel his breath on my nose, and I can see his pulse jump beneath the thin skin of his neck.

There's a knock at the door and I try to untangle myself from his grasp. With some wiggling I manage to make it over and pull the door open.

"Hey! Craig! Stella! How are you guys?" They hand me a bottle of wine.

"We've been great! It's just a little something."

"Aw guys thanks so much you shouldn't have." I take the bottle from Stella's outstretched hand.

"It was no problem Kagome, honestly." Stella smiles.

Stella stands just in the doorway and she looks beautiful, long brown hair tied up in a tight bun. She wears a cute little sun dress, trying to soak up the last tendrils of the hot summer air.

"Make yourselves at home, sorry about the lack of furniture, we haven't found any we like yet." They laugh.

"Oh don't worry, we're in the same boat." Craig takes a seat at the kitchen bar.

Another knock at the door and Jeremy lets himself in, presenting me with a small beautifully wrapped box.

"Open it." He prompts me and I do so. Inside is a small assortment of beautifully decorated and brightly colored confections.

"Where did you get these? They're so beautiful!" My sugar hound looks over my shoulder.

These are going to be gone in no time...

"There's a small bakery on the way over here right by the museum, I'll show you one day during lunch. Don't feel bad eating them, I promise you, they taste as good as they look"

I apologize for the lack of furniture one more time, but make up for it by opening the balcony doors. A breeze blows through the cramped apartment and I let out a bit of a sigh of relief.

Everyone arrives and Sesshoumaru serves the first course as we stand around, some venture to pile on the couch, while others take in the view from our balcony. Everyone's talking and laughing, the whole place buzzing with activity.

"So, where did you and Ichiro meet?" Stella asks between bites of Sesshoumaru's delicious food.

"Well, we met in Japan actually, many years ago. Then lost touch and somehow rekindled our friendship when we both moved to the states." Many years ago meaning MANY years ago, like try roughly five hundred years.

"That's adorable how you two met up again." I smile back at her then look at him, in his collared shirt and jeans with his stupid beautiful black hair that still looks so alien to me. I keep looking for silver and red, but I end up with black and alabaster skin.

We still don't fit. We have friends, but we still don't fit in with them. Here we stand, alone in a crowded and furniture less room.

Doing nothing but looking for each other.

xxx

The party is a success. Everyone thought it was fabulous and loved what we made. Well, what Sesshoumaru made.

Its 3a.m. on a Sunday morning as we lay awake, entwined on the mattress on the floor.

"We still don't fit in. Part of me sort of hoped that I would feel like we belonged after the party. But I still feel the same." I sigh, curling into a ball.

"I don't think it's possible for us to fit in." He answers me slowly.

"But it has to be possible. We should be able to fit in outside of Japan." I huff.

What if we no longer fit-in in japan either?

xxx

End of Chapter Thirteen