Finding Happiness by Honey Bee33

Special Deliveries

Chapter 1

Special Deliveries

"Kagome-chan, we'd better get a move on. We'll be late." Miroku tapped her softly on her shoulder and she tore her eyes away from the computer screen. She had never even wanted to go to the meeting in the first place, but, she gingerly turned the computer off and put on her game face.

"Let's go."

Miroku nodded and smiled a little, his eyes sparkling. They left his apartment and locked the door. Kagome sighed. They climbed into her car, and she glanced over at him from behind the wheel. "Miroku-chan, why do we have to go to these stupid meetings, anyway? Why doesn't she just send us memo's?"

"Because," he answered calmly, "our boss is stubborn and has to do everything the hard way."

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"Un. But she is kind," she sighed, then scowled. "Ugh, why don't you take a few days off, ne? You know I hate seeing what this work does to you. You work too hard. You need to get out more. Meet some women."

Miroku lifted his eyebrows stubbornly. "I do meet women. There's Lee."

"No, not Lee. I mean, meet women and actually go out with them --"

"Lee is a woman --"

"No, she's not. And none of your stupid pick-up lines or sexual harassment. Date the women."

Miroku raised his eyebrows, "Hara- harassment?! I do not harass! I. . . ."

"You. . . what?"

"I. . . well. . . well, I don't harass."

"Oh, okay. You touch them for your health. I got it."

Miroku was silent. Why did she have to be so sarcastic? He did not harass women. He just liked to touch them. Although, sometimes it was just. . . against their will. He glared at her. He hated it when she was right. But he knew how to get her back. "Kagome-chan?" he sang.

"Hai?"

"Are we there yet?" He joked in his whiniest voice.

"Oh, Miroku, please don't start that while I'm driving!!"

"Kagooooomeeeee! Are we there? I'm bored!"

She decided to play along. "Too bad."

"I have to pee!"

"Hold it."

"Can I drive?"

"No, baka! You can't even whine right!"

Miroku returned to his normal voice. "I do too whine right! You just don't appreciate good talent."

Kagome rolled her eyes. She remembered back to when he had first started his little kid whining in the car. They had gotten into an argument on their way to school one morning about three years earlier, and she had tried to end it by saying, "Ah, you can be such a baby, Miroku!" And then he had started whining. It had made her laugh, but had annoyed her, as well. He only did it when he wanted to get on her nerves.

She had known Miroku so long, he was almost like a brother to her. She had gotten to know him so well in the past three years that he was almost a second nature to her. They had met in class in their last year of high school and had just been around each other ever since. They decided to become roommates after they had gotten a job together in the city, and from then on it had all been non-stop.

They had both found work at a small gift shop where they actually sent out neatly wrapped baskets of exotic (but very tasty) gourmet food samples for occasions such as birthdays, baby showers, etc. Kagome helped to pack and wrap the gifts, while Miroku helped to deliver them. And they were paid well. The job was not as easy as it sounded.

And then there were the meetings. They always meant something had changed for the worst. And that's why Kagome was dreading this one. They were always on a Saturday, but rare, thankfully. She grimaced as she remembered the last meeting. Kaede-san, their boss, had actually fired a delivery guy for stealing some of the foods in the storage room. And she'd done it in front of everyone! He had been so outraged that he had yelled at the old woman, and Miroku and Kouga, another delivery guy, had literally had to kick him out. The man had cursed Kaede-san all the way into the street. Kagome sighed. Wonder what's gonna happen today. . .

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The reason I called this meeting today is to let you all know that sick days and vacations have been shortened." Everyone groaned. Kaede continued, "And also, to meet your new co-worker, Yamamoto Sango." She grabbed the arm of the girl that had been standing at her side since the meeting began. Miroku had definitely not over-looked her, for she was very attractive. She had waist-length raven colored hair, and- dare he think it- a very intriguing body. The girl, Sango, blushed and waved, shyly smiling . Miroku felt pity for her. He and Kagome had felt so ridiculous when Kaede-san had introduced them to everyone. Why she did it this way, he doubted he would ever figure out.

"Sango, " Kaede said pointing to everyone, "these are your new co-workers. Miroku, and Kouga are the delivery boys," each one waved or nodded as they were named off.

One in particular, Sango noticed, had winked, as well.

The old woman finished. " Kagome, Judy, Yôko, Mitsuko, and Julia are the wrappers. You will be Kagome's partner. She will show you around on Monday." The two girls smiled at each other awkwardly.

The rest of the meeting was full of complaints. The workers were usually allowed five sick days a month, but Kaede had shortened them to three. And their eight day vacations had been shortened to five. She explained to everyone the reason she had to make such inconvenient changes:

"Our business is growing. We are in need of more delivery boys, and as the orders grow larger, we must work longer. Thus, if we do not do that, " she shrugged, "I will be out of business! I want you to spread the word to anyone you may know about the openings for delivery boys. But for now, we have enough wrappers. So, what are you all still doing here? Go eat lunch, or something! " she waved everyone away, "See you on Monday!"

As everyone split their separate ways, Kagome exchanged numbers with Sango in case the girl had any last minute questions, and found Sango to be very pleasant, indeed. And, Kagome also noticed, so did Miroku.

Kagome and Miroku exited the small shop and Kouga followed them out to the car. "So, Kagome," he began, "what are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied as noticed Miroku mockingly yawn and get into the car. She caught his message. But she ignored it and gave Kouga her full attention. "Did you want to do something? " She asked, tipping her head to the side. Kouga's face turned a most becoming shade of red.

"Yes. Dinner? At eight?"

"Sounds good. See you later." She gingerly kissed him on the cheek and got into the car. Miroku rolled his eyes and yawned again. "He is so boring, Kagome! So cookie-cutter!" he mocked Kouga, "Dinner? At eight? Great! I'll have flowers and candy for you, too!"

Kagome flushed, " Oh, Miroku, he is not so bad-"

"Is too. . ."

"He's a very sweet guy --"

"He's a very obsessed guy. . ."

"Very patient and handsome --"

". . . and do you know who he's obsessed with?"

Kagome sighed. "Who?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"You!" Miroku chirped.

He found it very funny to watch Kouga drool after Kagome, like she was the last woman left on Earth. "He will never get over you! And do you know why you can never reject him, now?" he didn't wait for an answer, "Because he'll stalk you, that's why! He's one of those kind-"

"Oh, save your lecture, baka! I've heard it enough. I'll go out with him if I want to, end of story!"

Things got too serious for a moment, and Kagome tried to stay annoyed at Miroku. She looked over at him and saw him smirking. A smile tugged at her lips, and they both burst into giggles. Kagome shook her head. "Is he really that bad?"

"Yes! He is way too perfect, Kagome!"

"All right, all right. I'll slack off on going out with him. But who in the world am I going to date, then?"

Miroku stared ahead at the road, smiling. "Oh, you'll find somebody, Kagome. You always do."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later that night, after a day of working on her novel, Kagome got ready for her date with Kouga. She figured he would take her somewhere fancy, (perhaps), so she didn't want to dress too casually. She chose a light yellow dress (which contrasted well with her dark hair), and some matching yellow heels. She looked to her dresser for earrings. Some small sterling silver hoops complemented the outfit well. After adding some light pink gloss to her lips, a light powder to her face (she didn't need much), and darkened her eyes with mascara, she walked into the kitchen to retrieve her brown leather coat. Lately, it had not been the warmest of nights.

"Woah. Big date?" Miroku asked sarcastically, looking up from his paper. He was relaxing at the table with a cup of tea. "You look good in that dress."

Kagome sighed at him. "Thank you. "

"Kouga will love it."

She threw a dishtowel at him. He laughed so that she could just barely hear a knock at the door. Her stomach did a flip-flop, and she inhaled. Kouga always made her nervous. She let out her breath and exclaimed, "That's him!"

She opened the door, and there he stood.

"Kouga! Hi."

"Hey." He smiled shyly and acknowledged the other young man at the table. "Hey, Miroku!"

"Kouga!" Miroku replied, mockingly, "You have her home by eleven, now!"

Kagome blushed.

"Miroku!" she laughed, "Shut up!"

Kouga moved out of the doorway and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes! Please, get me out of here!" Kagome laughed.

She waved goodbye to Miroku, and they left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The door shut behind them, and Miroku suddenly felt very alone. He sighed and finished his tea. At least he had rented a movie to watch for tonight.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As they walked to the elevator, Kagome noticed that Kouga kept his right hand behind his back. She decided not to inquire about it. He spoke up.

"You look really good in that dress."

"Thank you! Miroku-chan said the same thing." She smiled at him. She could see how he felt about her. It was so obvious. . .

When they reached his car, they paused at the passenger door. Kagome expected him to open it for her, but instead, he pulled out a single white rose from behind his back.

Kagome accepted it, but did not say anything. She heard him say "This is for you." She did not know what to say. It was the most perfect rose she had ever seen. She put it to her nose and inhaled its sweet scent. This was a real rose. A homegrown rose. She had never smelled a rose so sweet. Nor had she ever seen so many petals on one, either. It was in full bloom, and Kagome could see to its center. She suddenly remembered where she was, and managed to breathe the word, "White."

Kouga stuttered. "Uh, well. . . I- I didn't want to get you just an ordinary red one. . . white means ?purity'. . .

and i-it was beautiful. . . like you."

"Where did you find such a rose?" Kagome admired the flower.

"My landlady grows them. She told me to pick one for you. It's funny how I. . . well, I just knew it was the one. . ."

Kagome kissed him on the cheek and thanked him again. "It's beautiful."

Kouga suddenly jumped, remembering to open the car door for his date. He did so, then anxiously ran around to the driver's side and climbed in, himself. He cranked up the car and looked over at Kagome. "Hope you like Italian."

Kagome, nodded, smiling. She couldn't stop smiling. But her thoughts were confused. She felt like she was cheating Kouga. It was obvious how he felt about her. . . but Kagome wasn't sure it was enough. . . or that she even deserved it. Like Miroku had said, Kouga was, in fact, too perfect. He did everything just right, all in hopes of capturing her affections. Should she - could she - accept something so flawless. . . so perfect? She looked down at the rose and realized, in a way, she already had. And then, the thought jumped into her head, as she had sub-consciously known it would: Could I fall in love with Kouga? Any girl could. . .

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An hour had passed since Kagome had left with Kouga. Miroku was already into his movie, when the phone rang. He found "pause" on the remote control, and got up to answer the phone. It beeped as he pressed the "talk" button. "Hello?"

"Uh, hi. This must be Miroku."

"Yes," Miroku replied flirtatiously to the young feminine voice on the other end of the line. "This is he. Who would this be?"

"This is Sango Yamamoto. I start work with you this week."

"Oh, yes! Sango!"

"Kagome said you two lived together. Is she there?"

"Oh, no, she left about an hour ago. Had a big date."

"Date? You mean you two aren't. . . "

"Huh? Oh! No, no. We're just friends!"

"Well, Miroku, maybe you can help me. I just had a question. I don't want to bother you. . . "

"Oh, believe me, not at all! I was just. . . well, doing absolutely nothing. Watching a movie."

"Oh. I was just wondering how I should dress for work. No one said anything about uniforms, or anything, so. . ."

Miroku smiled. For some reason, he found this to be incredibly cute. "Well, you don't have to dress formally, if that's what you mean. Kagome just dresses presentably. . . you know, a skirt, a nice blouse. That's all."

"Oh, okay. Thank you." Sango said awkwardly.

"Is that all?" He asked, hoping she would speak with him some more.

He could almost hear her blush. "Uh, yeah. Pretty dumb last-minute question, huh?"

"No, not at all!" Miroku said kindly. "You'll be happy you asked."

"Miroku - wait a minute. . . " Sango said with sudden recognition in her voice.

"Yes?" He was wondering, what had he done now?

"Aren't you the guy that winked at me? At the meeting?"

Oh. That's what he had done. "Uh. . ." he swallowed, ". . . guilty."

She laughed. "I didn't know people winked anymore."

Now it was his turn to blush. But wait. . . was she-? No. She wasn't flirting with him? Well! Maybe tonight wouldn't be so boring, after all.

"Well," he made sure his voice was smooth, "when I see such a beautiful woman, sometimes I just. . . can't help myself." He smiled. For some reason, he felt giddy. He thought only girls could feel giddy. . . what was going on, here?

"Is that so?'" Sango cooed. ?Well, Miroku, that sounds like a pretty serious problem. You may have to learn to control it. You could get yourself into trouble."

"You're right, " he said playfully, "but I haven't yet. So far, it's been working."

"Has it?"

"Why yes, " he was on a roll. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Maybe. . ." She was smiling. He could tell she was smiling.

Then, he assembled together all his courage and asked, "Would you like to come over, Sango? We could watch this movie together."

"Hmm. . . " she replied, "depends on what movie it is."

"Oh, it's an American movie called Adaptation. It's pretty interesting."

"Yes, I've heard of it. All right. . . where do you live?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The restaurant was unusually calm for a Saturday night, and Kagome and Kouga managed to get a rather secluded table. And what a nice restaurant it was! Dimly lit, soft peach and champagne colors. . . How could he afford such a place? Kagome wondered. And especially on his salary. . . he made as much as Miroku. But then again. . . that salary wasn't so bad. He must have been planning a night like this. . .

"It's rather quiet." Kouga said softly.

"Yes, " Kagome replied, "it's nice."

There was a comfortable silence. It gave Kagome time to study the man in front of her. Broad -shouldered, handsome smile, sweet, open. . . straight out of a romance novel. Suddenly, she frowned. "You spoil me. I don't deserve someone like you. Or any of this."

He looked at her, confused. "Of course you deserve it. I want you to have it. . . you're special to me. You're a very different kind of girl, Kagome." He smirked, "Would you rather me have taken you to McDonald's? The Big Mac's are only ninety-nine cent right now!"

She laughed, "No! That's okay! You're just so nice to me."

"Well, Kagome, " Kouga replied jokingly, "I've seen how hard you work. You're dedicated to gift-wrapping! Sometimes I think it's you that makes the world go round! You deserve such conveniences as these!"

They laughed, and the silence was finally broken. They went on to discuss things, Kagome was glad, other than work.

When their water came, Kouga asked, "Kagome, how is your novel going?"

"Good. The story's coming along nicely. I should be sending it to the editors next week." She gave a nervous sigh.

"I never figured you to be a writer."

"Well, I can't wrap baskets for the rest of my life. I have more ambition than that!" she smiled.

"What's your pen name, again? It was odd, wasn't it?"

Kagome blushed. "Yeah. Ito Hanyou."

"Why Hanyou?" Kouga chuckled, "You're not a half-demon."

"Well, that's what I write. Feudal-Era stuff. Demons, spells, magic jewels, and the like. It's fun."

"I can't imagine sitting at a computer all day is fun."

"Imagining the story is what's fun. Getting lost in your own plot, never knowing what your characters are going to do next. . . Surely you don"t want to be a delivery boy for the rest of your life."

"No. Actually, I want to go back to college. I'm saving up, you know. . . "

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Kagome said good night to Kouga, it was already 11:30. Had time really slipped away from her so quickly? She had enjoyed herself tremendously with Kouga. . . they had become rather close on this particular

date. . .

She walked into the apartment. It was dark, except for the glow of the television. She headed to her room to find a heavy book so she could press her rose, but as she walked by the couch, she noticed not one, but two heads, one resting on the other.

Miroku had a date? Who was this mysterious girl?

She realized they were asleep, and quietly walked around in front of them. In the light of the television, she could see the face of. . .

"Sango?!"

The girl jumped at the sound of her name. So did Miroku.

Sango looked up into the face of a rather confused Kagome. "Kagome! You're home! I guess we fell

asleep. . ."

"Apparently so." Kagome grinned.

Miroku took his left arm from around the girl, and cursed it. It had fallen asleep along with them.

Sango could feel herself blushing, and Kagome reached over and turned on a lamp. The couple squinted their eyes at the sudden glow.

Sango looked over at Miroku, who was smiling at her profusely. Still blushing, she smiled back. They hadn't done a thing that night but watch the movie. But. . . Kagome catching them like that had still been a little embarrassing.

She stretched her arms in front of her and exclaimed, "Well, guess I'd better go! Goodnight, Miroku."

He winked. She laughed. She shyly left, waving goodbye to Kagome.

Woah. . . what had happened in there?

Miroku had been such a gentlemen to her all evening. She looked forward to working with him. She had felt a little awkward - as well as cautious - about coming over at first, but he'd made her feel so welcome. . . And even though she had barely spoken to her, she hoped she had made friends with Kagome. After all, she would be with her every day, now.

She smiled to herself as she walked to her apartment. She hoped she wasn't rushing into anything. . . Miroku had even offered to walk her home, but she had been persistent; her apartment had turned out to be only a block away. When she got inside, she leaned against the door and thought to herself, I can't wait to see him again...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kagome smiled at Miroku after Sango left. "What was that all about?! You two looked pretty cozy!"

"Un. . . she was good company." he replied. "Actually, she had called looking for you."

"Oh, what did she need?"

"She was just unsure about how to dress for work. Then she remembered that I had winked at her earlier today, and we kind of started flirting."

"Over the phone?" Kagome giggled.

"Yeah. . .so, I invited her over. Kagome. . . I'm gonna ask her out again. She is amazing." He smiled as he remembered how bright Sango's smile had been. . .

Snapping out of his sudden trance Miroku asked, "So, Kagome, how was your date, with Kouga?"

The girl smiled. "He was. . .amazing. Look at what he gave me." She held out the rose to Miroku. He, too noticed it's magnificence.

"How exquisite! Perfection!" he exclaimed. "So, are you stuck on him, now?"

Kagome flopped down on the couch, resting her head in her free hand, admiring the rose. "I'm not sure. . . he definitely proved himself. . . perfect, tonight. We got pretty close. But I'm not so sure he's ?the one,' just yet."

"Well," Miroku said, "you don't have to rush into it. You know that. Give it time."

"Right! Well, I better go get this thing in a book before it up and dies on me!" She got up and did just that, smiling to herself the whole time.