Priceless (an InuYasha FanFic)

New Friends

The weekend came faster than Kagome would have liked. She wasn't quite ready to mingle in society yet, but Sesshomaru's stepmother was very persuasive, to make matters worse, however, Sesshomaru wasn't allowed to come. Apparently, it was a "Girls day" and Izayoi would be bringing a couple friends. Rin had asked to come too but was eventually convinced that it would be boring with a bunch of "old ladies" all day and decided instead to spend the day with Grandpa Toga. 

When that dreaded knock on the door came Kagome was tempted to hide in her closet but decided to just grow a pair and get over herself. It's just one day at the mall after all. How bad could it be?

Izayoi came prepared with a few outfits in Kagome's size and made her do a little fashion show before she was finally happy with Kagome's apparel and they were ready to leave. They had finally decided on a light mint greet tee with a sweetheart neckline and three-quarter sleeves that flared on the ends, and a dark blue pair of distressed skinny jeans. Izayoi brushed and pulled Kagome's hair into a high ponytail for her as well as practically forcing Kagome to put on a thin layer of shimmery lip gloss. When all that was combined with a pair of worn out converse, Kagome looked like she wore these clothes all the time. Nobody would know they were hand-me-downs. Izayoi insisted that she looked "sexy". Kagome looked in the mirror and was forced to admit that she didn't look half bad, but she wouldn't go so far as to call herself sexy by any stretch of the imagination. 

One thing did occur to Kagome before they left, however, and that was that she still had some pretty gnarly scars on her forearms, which had been covered by the dress she borrowed from her doctor's wife and the old dress shirts Sesshomaru had been letting her borrow. Eventually, after a little cajoling on Kagome's part, Izayoi was convinced to let her wear a light blue knit cardigan that went all the way down passed her fingertips and had to be scrunched up for her hands to be useful, but Kagome didn't care as long as the scars were covered, and bonus, the soft cashmere of the sweater didn't aggravate the still slightly raw skin.

Satisfied with her work, Izayoi had paraded Kagome out of her bedroom and in front of Sesshomaru, bragging rather childishly about her great success, and congratulating Sesshomaru on finding such a lovely young mate. Needless to say, poor Kagome was blushing redder than a maraschino cherry.

Sesshomaru was pleased with his stepmother's handiwork. She had a good eye for style and color and would make sure that his Mate didn't just opt for baggy sweaters and sturdy jeans which he was sure she would probably prefer right now. However, a day with Izayoi, finding styles that well became her natural beauty, and being loved on by his stepmother and her friends was, in Sesshomaru's "expert" opinion, exactly what the doctor ordered to possibly help Kagome regain a little of the self-esteem and respect that he was sure she used to have. He trusted Izayoi, even if the beginning of his relationship with his stepmother had been a little rocky, to begin with. 

Sesshomaru smiled as he stood and walked around his desk to stand before his intended. "You look lovely little mate." he took her hands and kissed the top of her head. "Have fun today ladies. Mother, take my Debit card with you, use it for anything you think she needs." He reached into his pocket and handed his mother a glossy black card. "Do try not to bankrupt me though." He smirked and gave Izayoi a playful wink.

"Thank you, dear." Izayoi slipped it into her own wallet before reaching up and giving her stepson a kiss on the cheek. "When should I have her back?" 

Sesshomaru glanced at Kagome. "Whenever you two feel like coming back is fine, just try not to stay out too late, Rin would like it if you helped tuck her in." He directed his last remark to Kagome who was still blushing from the kiss on the head. Sesshomaru almost chuckled at her reaction but refrained as he looked back to Izayoi.