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The Hunt for the Perfect Man	By : HauntedReality Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 7821 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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The Hunt for the Perfect Man: Chapter 3 - Hojo

This is still a tag-team performance brought to you by HauntedReality/CharmedReality and BelleDayNight.

Disclaimer: We didn�t create the characters. We just put
them in compromising situations for our amusement.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

It never failed to amaze her how difficult applying eyeliner
could actually be. She always felt like she was one wrong move away from
impaling her deep blue orbs with the dull, chocolate brown pencil.

For this reason, Kagome had developed the habit of holding
her breath and remaining very still as she applied the precarious stroke. It
wasn�t quite meditation, but it was as close as the busy student and part-time
waitress got with her hectic schedule.

So, it wasn�t surprising that she didn�t notice the soft
click of her front door being opened or the faint footsteps that approached her
bedroom where she sat in her black, lacy bra and the new, elegant skirt she
purchased for her first evening at the opera.

She was so focused on readying herself for her second online
computer dating service match-up that she didn�t notice the uninvited guest at
all until he spoke in his smooth, relaxed manner. �Do you have any extra toilet
paper? I�m out.�

So, she was understandably startled. �INUYASHA!!!�

�Hey, are you getting ready for another one of those
fix-ups?� he asked as though he were totally unaware she was furious with him.

�OUT!� She punctuated her order by sending various make-up
products his way.

Easily dodging her wild aim, he willingly backed out of the
room with a smirk sitting on his boyishly handsome face. �I know the last date
didn�t go well, but I�m not sure showing up in that outfit is the answer.�

�It is my bra! I was changing! But somebody didn�t knock before barging in.� Kagome quickly added the
top layer of her formal ensemble and shot the smug man leaning in her hallway a
withering glance before storming over to her bathroom.

�Here,� she growled as she hurled a roll of the requested
toilet paper at his chest.

�When is Mr. Right getting here?�

�Not as soon as you�ll be leaving,� she fired back.

�I�m hurt,� he said as he dramatically clutched his fist over
his chest to feign heartache.

�You will be,� she threatened, trying to convey more malice
than she actually felt. If she were to be honest, she was happy to see her
annoying neighbor even if she hadn�t wanted him to see as much of her as he had.
She�d been getting some pre-date butterflies in her stomach and dealing with
him was erasing all that nervousness.

Before she could speak again to soften her abrasive tone,
there was a steady rap against her front door. Her eyes turned sternly to the
smiling man at her side. �Well, at least he knows how to knock.�

Her hands unconsciously smoothed the lines of her skirt as she
crossed the short distance to the entrance and opened it to reveal a
mature-looking but still young man with chestnut hair and soft, grey-blue eyes.

�Kagome Higurashi, I presume?� He asked with a bright smile
as she nodded her affirmation. �This is for you.� He handed her a whicker
basket tied up with a red, satin ribbon. Inside, was an odd assortment of
fruits, vitamins, and herbal remedies to common ailments.

�Oh, well, thank you. That is very sweet...?�

�Hojo.�

�It is nice to meet you, Hojo.� She had to admit her date
was certainly attractive, dressed in a fine, tailored suit, and already much
sweeter than a certain someone she knew a little too well. Then she cringed as
she realized they weren�t alone.

�Topical cream, band-aids, and vitamin E?� Inuyasha mumbled
absently as he scrutinized the gift she was holding. Looking at the newcomer
with an arched eyebrow, he continued, �I take it flowers and chocolate are out,
and first-aid kits are all the rage?�

Hojo�s eyes widened in surprise at the third party but
without missing a beat, he replied, �I am a doctor, and I believe in
maintaining and nourishing the well-being of the body. My offering is more
substantial than the empty calories and fleeting beauty of common gifts.

�But I guess you already know that,� he said, nodding to the
roll of toilet paper cradled in the other man�s hands.

Inuyasha�s brows drew together in a scowl and his snappy
come-back was forgotten when his attention was drawn to Kagome. The freshly dressed young woman snorted at him
in a very un-lady like fashion that resulted in Hojo grinning and offering his
arm to her.

�Shall we be off? I
believe the Phantom is calling for you, Christine,� Hojo teased.

The toilet paper was being squeezed in the vise-like grip of
Inuyasha�s hand. �It must be hard to be
a doctor when you keep forgetting your patients� names.�

Hojo held open the door and looked back at Inuyasha with a
puzzled expression. �Excuse me, I don�t
follow.�

�Heh, that�s because fools never look where they are going.�

�Come on, Hojo, let�s leave before we miss the opening act,�
Kagome prodded, wanting to hurry on with the evening and escape the snide
remarks of her neighbor.

Her date, Hojo, gently patted her arm paternally. �Hold on, I�d like to know what he meant by
that comment.� He turned his attention
back to Inuyasha who was now tossing and catching the toilet paper roll
idly. �What did you mean about the
forgetting of my patients� names?�

�You just called Kagome, Christine,� Inuyasha explained as
he caught the toilet paper roll and then moved to walk past the two in the open
doorway. �Have fun, Kagome.� He walked over to his door and shut it. He then watched the progress of the couple
through the peephole.

Kagome scratched her head at Inuyasha�s odd comment before
shaking her head and locking her front door.
�Do you think we should explain that you were referring to the
characters in the opera we are about to watch?�

Hojo�s beeper began to buzz, and he looked down distractedly
before glancing back towards Kagome with an apologetic smile. �Sorry, what were you saying?� He asked after dismissing the text message.

�Never mind, let�s hurry so we don�t miss anything,� Kagome
suggested cheerfully. Her good mood only
escalated when she noticed the Mercedes Benz in the parking lot that belonged
to her date.

He further climbed her ladder of expectations when he opened
the passenger door for her. He then reached
over to buckle her in himself, leaning his trim body close to hers. He smiled sheepishly as he realized what he
was doing. �Sorry, I�m used to buckling
in my five-year-old niece. I often take
care of her,� he explained.

�Does her mother live near you?� Kagome inquired after he
climbed in behind the wheel and put the car into reverse to maneuver out of the
parking lot. He spun the car sharply
into drive and out onto the open road in a swift, impressive move.

�My sister passed away, so now Denise lives with her father,
and her grandmother often cares for her.
I do what I can when I can though. She�s the only family I have left,� Hojo
explained, glancing over at Kagome when he was at the stop sign; pain reflected
in his blue-grey eyes. Kagome�s heart
broke for him right then and there.

The rest of the ride was driven in peaceful silence with only
the music from the Phantom of the Opera
soundtrack playing in the background.
While Hojo handed the ticket-taker their tickets at the door to the
opera house his beeper went off once more.
He grimaced when he read the message.

�I have to take this call, but I�ll find you in the
auditorium in just a few minutes.� Hojo
explained before patting Kagome reassuringly on the back of the hand before
rushing off to use his cellular phone outside.

�Shall I show you to your seat madam?� An elderly volunteer
at the opera house asked kindly. Kagome
nodded absently and allowed the old man to lead her to the box seat Hojo had
purchased for the night. He had aimed to
rent out box 5, but apparently, it was being used for the performance and the
phantom didn�t want to share.

The opening act was performed to appreciative applause, and
yet Kagome found herself unable to express her enthusiasm to her date, since he
had yet to return to his seat. She
glanced at her watch, and the pull to search for him was only quenched when he
suddenly appeared with an apologetic smile upon his boyish face.

�I�m so sorry about that,� Hojo apologized as he sat beside
her in the box. He handed her a single
red rose and a glass of champagne he purchased from the bar. �Here�s a rose, I would have put a black
ribbon on the stem like the phantom, but I thought you would prefer that I show
up as promptly as possible.�

�It�s alright,� Kagome told him in a soft whisper as she
redirected her attention to the performance.
It was rather sweet of him to bring her champagne and a rose. It just showed how considerate he was to her
feelings of abandonment. Most likely he
was on the phone helping to diagnose and treat a rare disease. He really was sweet to think of her feelings
in the midst of such important work!

Hojo settled in his seat with a satisfied smile and took
Kagome�s hand in his, resting them on the arm of her chair. He gave her a reassuring squeeze as he
watched the proceedings of the opera.

Christine�s character had just unmasked the phantom, a very
emotional and heart-wrenching scene that had tears spilling from the corners of
Kagome�s jewel-colored eyes. It was the
most inopportune moment for one�s beeper to go off.

Hojo released Kagome�s hand, completely forgetting about the
emotional scene before him as he focused on the message from the hospital. He sighed with relief when it was only a
status report on the patient he treated earlier. �Good news,� he smiled at Kagome as he
settled back and focused on the show once again.

She forced an accepting smile to her lips. Normally, cell
phones and pagers in public places were a major pet peeve of hers, but this was
different--this was life and death. And she felt a touch guilty for feeling a
little irritated by the constant interruptions.

The curtains closed for the intermission in the middle of
the opera to roaring applause and cheers.
Kagome looked over at Hojo, expecting to engage in the basic
conversation they had been lacking for the past couple of hours. The car ride was so promising that she was
looking forward to another chance to converse with the handsome gentleman.

�I am so sorry for all of this, Kagome, I�ll make sure this
night is one you�ll never forget,� Hojo promised. He leaned over the arm of the chair separating
the two of them and kissed Kagome on the cheek, letting his lips linger on her
soft cheek.

�You�re on-call tonight, right?� Kagome asked. She couldn�t remember if he had explained
that he might have been on-call that evening or not. She also didn�t understand why he didn�t
arrange for their date to be on a night he had available.

He seemed to read her mind.
�I wasn�t supposed to be on-call tonight, honest. I ended up having to cover for the head of
surgery. The scalpel slipped this
morning during a routine appendectomy.
He gave himself a nasty slice and almost lost a finger. I didn�t think the added stress of being
on-call would be conducive to his recovery.�

�That�s awfully considerate of you, but I think he probably
cut his finger on purpose so he could arrange for an extra night off,� Kagome
joked with a conspiratory twinkle in her eyes.

Hojo laughed boisterously at the suggestion and patted the
back of her hand. �That�s fantastic!�

Kagome was about to ask some trivial first date type questions
when a commotion drew her attention. �Is
there a doctor in the house?!?!� a frazzled, young man asked, glasses askew on
his nose, and hair a mess.

�I�m a doctor,� Hojo called, rising in his box to peer over
the side in the direction of the shouting man.

�My wife just went into labor,� the young man explained,
running towards the box.

Kagome looked around nervously as she noticed the bulk of
the audience seemed to have turned their eyes to her date. There was a heavy
din of whispering and comments as she helplessly followed Hojo on his latest
rescue mission, not wanting to spend any more of her date alone.

One older lady in a gaudy purple dress was turned around
fully in her seat to watch them hurry by. Kagome managed to catch her talking
to her much smaller, worn-looking husband. �Oooh, look how heroic he is, Stan.
Why can�t you be more like that!?�

Feeling a pang of pity for the diminutive husband, Kagome
raised her head a bit higher while trailing behind Hojo. He was kind of heroic
after all. And this date certainly was eventful even if it wasn�t quite in the
same way she had been hoping.

Just then, she overheard another snippet of conversation. �Handsome
and a doctor! Wow! I wonder why he is with such a common-looking girl?�

Kagome clenched her fist tightly and started to look through
the crowd to see where that insulting voice had come from, but she ended up
walking right into Hojo�s back as he stopped in front of the expectant mother.

�Ooof!� She pulled back and stood to the side awkwardly.
�Sorry.�

Hojo turned his head and gave her a quick smile. �Did you
say something, Kagome?�

�Doctor! It hurts!� screamed out the red-faced woman, lying
on the rich, crimson carpet in the aisle.

Hojo offered her soothing words and instructions as he set about
to examining the situation and making her more comfortable. Kagome could still
feel the crowd watching her, and she shuffled uncomfortably beneath their
prying eyes. She couldn�t help but feel a little out of place next to the hero
of the hour.

She began thinking it might be best just to excuse herself
politely when she realized Hojo was trying to get her attention. �Kagome, I
need your help.�

�Mine? Okay, what can I do?� Suddenly feeling needed again,
Kagome rallied herself to jump in and help however she could.

�Can you look at my beeper and tell me what it says?�

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she realized she
had just been promoted to secretary. �Sure.� Trying hard not to see anything
too emotionally scarring from her vantage point, she bent down and unhooked the
electronic device from his belt.

Still crouching in the most expensive outfit she owned, she
read it off. �It says they need you back at the hospital tonight, because they
are short-handed.�

�Oh, Kagome, I�m so sorry, but it shouldn�t take too long. I�ll
just accompany this young woman in the ambulance. I hope you will consider waiting for me, so I
can take you out to dinner and make up for this.�

Biting her lip lightly, she tried to decide if she should agree
to his suggestion or simply cut her losses and leave. Just as she was about to
respond, she was interrupted by the newborn baby making his first appearance.
�Now, push!�

Kagome looked away with a queasy stomach as she saw the
stranger�s most private area displayed liberally in front of her. Her respect
for Hojo�s profession doubled as she realized just how terrible she would be as
a doctor.

Then a piercing cry cut through the air, and the surrounding
crowd stood and offered applause. Kagome couldn�t help but smile at the
humbling reaction from the opera patrons. She turned her gaze back to the baby
boy and felt guilty for thinking only of herself at such a time.

Smiling widely, she decided to answer Hojo�s previous
question. Just as the words were ready to spill from her lips, something wet
splattered across her cheek and down her new outfit that represented all of the
wages and tips from a month of waitressing.

The placenta was a messy part of the birthing process that
tended to be forgotten until it splattered all over you. �Actually, Hojo, I
think I�m going to go home. I�m not really feeling that well,� she lied just as
paramedics from the recently arrived ambulance brought in a stretcher.

The spotless doctor turned his attention back to his ignored
date with concern. �Oh, maybe you should ride along too for an examination.�

Realizing feigning an illness with a doctor probably wasn�t
one of her best plans, she just shook her head. �No, I just need some rest.�

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

He was not going to gloat.
He would not be bringing up the fact that he was right and she was
wrong. He would just pick her up and
take her home.

The moment he saw her standing outside of the opera house in
her once elegant dress, hair mused, and skin pale he couldn�t help but
laugh. Inuyasha pulled the car up next
to her in the street and rolled down his window. �Need a lift?� He managed to ask once his laughter died down
due to the murderous look in her eyes.

Kagome didn�t say a word.
She simply walked around the hood of the car, yanked open the passenger
door, barely closing it in time to miss a passing vehicle careening down the
street. She buckled her seatbelt and
crossed her arms over her chest before staring straight out the front window.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable
as he pulled back into traffic. He
reached over to turn off the volume on his stereo. Usually silence caused Kagome to talk, no
matter how stubborn she was. He knew her
well enough to know that this would prompt her to spill what happened without
him sounding curious.

�Hojo went to the hospital,� Kagome supplied, predictably
breaking the silence.

�So you said on the telephone,� Inuyasha answered, looking
at her from the corner of his eye. She
really did look like she had been through the wringer. �So how did your hair get wet?� He caved and
asked.

Kagome blew out a heavy sigh and turned to look squarely at
her driver--her entirely too smug of a driver.
�Ever seen a woman give birth?�

Uncontrollable coughing was the answer as Inuyasha shot her
a quick look before focusing back on the road.
�As in a baby squeezing out of an entirely too small hole, a woman
screaming bloody murder, and goo and blood flying everywhere?�

�Sounds accurate, I think you can surmise why my hair is wet
and my dress is stained,� Kagome answered.
She reached over to turn back up the volume to the stereo.

Inuyasha didn�t ask any more questions. The visuals from the short explanation were
already more than he wanted to know. He
parked outside of their apartments. He
and Kagome got out of his car simultaneously and slammed their respective doors
closed at the same time. He turned on
the alarm and walked beside his frustrated neighbor.

�You did look really nice tonight,� Inuyasha offered as they
were standing back to back, unlocking their apartment doors.

�Gee, past tense, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy
inside,� Kagome remarked sarcastically.

Inuyasha reached over and gently grasped Kagome�s slender
shoulder before she could lock herself up in her apartment for the rest of the
night. She turned to him, a tired
expression in her eyes. �I know it�s not
the same, but after you take your shower, why don�t you come over, and we can
watch the movie version of the Phantom of
the Opera? I have it on DVD.�

Kagome�s eyes narrowed as she wondered if he was listening
in the hallway earlier to her and Hojo�s conversation. That hardly mattered now, and he did come to
her rescue like a knight in shining armor.
�I�ll bring the popcorn,� she agreed.

Two hours later, the movie was three-fourths finished and
the two neighbors and tentative friends were sitting side by side on Inuyasha�s
over-stuffed couch. His ankles were
crossed as his heels perched on his coffee table. Kagome sat with her legs curled up under her
on the cushion beside him. Between the
two of them, they were on their third bowl of extra buttered popcorn.

A loud knocking was heard in the hallway. Inuyasha continued to munch on a handful of
popcorn. �Expecting company?� He asked,
mouth full of buttery goodness.

Kagome shrugged, focusing on the movie and trying to ignore
the incessant knocking on her apartment door across the hall. �Nothing I was expecting this evening
happened, so why would now be any different?�

The knocking ended, but a voice called out. �Kagome? It�s Hojo, I�m so sorry. Are you okay?� Kagome groaned as she shoved the bowl of
popcorn into Inuyasha�s chest before standing up. Inuyasha pushed the pause button on the
remote and then set the bowl on the table recently warmed by his feet before
following his movie night buddy.

The weary brunette opened Inuyasha�s door, �I�m over here
Hojo,� Kagome greeted. The handsome
doctor turned towards her, an apologetic look on his face. He held a plastic container of some sort in
his hands that he handed to her.

�I�m so sorry about this evening. I brought you a special blend of my own
recipe of chicken soup to help you regain your strength. I hope that you will allow me to make up this
evening in the future,� Hojo smiled brightly.
The smile dimmed considerably when Inuyasha joined Kagome in the
doorframe.

�I think wearing one�s best dress to an opera and then being
ignored by your date, covered in blood and placenta parts, and then abandoned
is enough to cancel out the possibility of you getting a second chance,�
Inuyasha answered for Kagome.

�Inuyasha,� Kagome hissed, elbowing her tall neighbor
not-so-gently in the ribs. She smiled
politely at Hojo. �I just don�t think
things will work out for us, Hojo.
You�re such a busy man, and I just don�t believe we�re right for one
another at this point in life.�

Hojo�s smile was a little less bright this time as he
reached across to squeeze her shoulder gently.
�I�ll be sure to look you up once I have some vacation time then.�

�You do that,� Inuyasha answered as he wrapped his arm
around Kagome�s waist to twirl her into his apartment and slam the door in the
happy doctor�s face. He released Kagome,
sending her spinning and falling over the back of his couch.

�Hey!� Kagome cried
as she righted herself and stood self-righteously on top of the couch, to glare
down at Inuyasha. �You had no right to
do that!�

Inuyasha didn�t answer.
He merely sat back down on his couch cushion, sending a vibratory wave
down the couch and causing Kagome to lose her balance and fall on top of
him. He shoved her to the side of him
and used the remote control to resume the movie.

�Jerk,� Kagome grumbled, settling back beside him with her
arms crossed. Inuyasha turned to look at
her and shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth before focusing once more on
the movie, trying not to laugh at the undignified sputtering of his neighbor.
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The Hunt for the Perfect Man