Cafe of Dreams by Winter

Elusive Dreams

TITLE: Cafe of Dreams (1/?)

AUTHOR: Winter

EMAIL ADDRESS: winteryuu@hotmail.com

DISTRIBUTION: My site (A Single Spark), FF.net, anyone who wants it -- just let me know where it's going.

SPOILERS: None. It's AU.

RATING: PG-13

SUMMARY: Kagome's dream has always been to run her own cafe. Lacking the start-up money, she turns to Sesshoumaru, a private investor. Will he make her dreams come true? (Kag/Sess; AU)

DISCLAIMER: "Inuyasha" is owned by Takahashi Rumiko, etc. I make no claims.

FEEDBACK: Would be very much appreciated.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first attempt *ever* at writing a multi-chapter fanfic that does not include an ounce of action. That's right, folks, we're talking pure romance (and some drama). Here's hoping it doesn't suck.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure when I'll be continuing this fanfic. I haven't written anything in a long time, and I'm trying to wet my feet again before I dive into continuing my other ongoing fic. So, I guess you could say this chapter is more of a teaser. Still, I hope you enjoy it.

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PART ONE

Elusive Dreams

Kagome sighed wistfully as she entered the small home she shared with her two siblings, having just come from yet another unsuccessful job interview. It wasn't that she had been rejected. In fact, the interview had gone extremely well, even by her standards. But the position they were looking to fill just didn't spark her interest.

That made seven for seven.

"Onee-san?" she called out after depositing her things on the couch. "You home?"

"You're finally back?" came the strong, rich voice of her older sister. In a moment, Kikyou came into view, having come from the kitchen. "Want some lunch?"

"I'm not hungry," Kagome shook her head.

"Let me guess, you didn't like *this* job either," Kikyou rolled her eyes playfully, but her tone was clearly exasperated.

Shrugging her shoulders, Kagome simply replied, "It just seemed so...dreary and repetitive."

"Well what did you expect when you decided to major in *accounting* of all things?"

Kagome shot her sister a glare, but said nothing.

Kikyou, too, chose not to follow up on her teasing. After all, she knew full well that the main reason her sister had chosen a business major was so that she could eventually open her own cafe. That had been the girl's dream ever since childhood, and that dream had only intensified after their parents had lost their shop. It was so precious a thing to Kagome that Kikyou could not bring herself to do or say anything that would tarnish her hopes, even in jest.

Sighing, she merely asked, "Well, the interview itself must have gone well. You've been gone for hours."

A light sparked in Kagome's eyes, and Kikyou knew instinctively where the conversation was about to go.

"No, the interview only lasted about an hour. But you'll never guess what I saw on the way home!"

Kikyou raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"You know that shopping center off Chestnut and 25th? Well, there's this empty space there--it used to be a bakery, but they moved. There was a 'For Rent' sign in the window, so I went to check it out, and you'll never believe it, the real estate agent was there! How lucky is that? So she showed me around, and onee-san, it's perfect! I mean, there would have to be some serious renovations to turn it into a cafe, but it has a back kitchen area already set up with stoves and shelves, and the plumbing is almost brand new, and--"

"Hold it, hold it," Kikyou held up her hand to stop the torrent of words pouring from her sister. "I thought you said you were going to hold off on this idea, at least for a couple of years, until you've made enough money to finance the whole thing. Now you're looking into real estate?"

Kagome looked crestfallen, and Kikyou wanted to kick herself.

"I just thought it was a really good spot..."

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Kikyou told her sincerely, "You know I hate having to always say these things, but we don't have the money. With okaa-san gone, and Souta starting college--"

"I know," Kagome looked down at her hands. She knew their situation all too well. Their mother had died while Kagome was still in college, and she had had to work two jobs to try and put herself through her last year. Even that hadn't been enough--she had to borrow money from Kikyou, who was working as a nurse at the hospital. And with Souta having started college this year, it was all Kikyou and Kagome could do save enough money for his tuition.

"Maybe after Souta's finished school, and we've both worked a few years, we'll have enough to invest in the place," Kikyou offered, attempting to comfort her sister.

"But this location is available now," Kagome moaned. She hated whining, but in this case, she couldn't help it. It was like she was watching her dreams slip through her fingers--again. "I just know it would be perfect."

Kikyou had nothing to say in response, so she merely shook her head sadly.

Sighing dejectedly, Kagome continued, "I'll be in my room."

"If you need anything--"

"--I'll call you," she finished with a small smile. "When does your shift start?"

"In a couple of hours. I'll be working the three to eleven tonight."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Kagome headed to her room. Once there, she closed the door and collapsed onto her bed. She hated feeling like this--always getting her hopes up, then having them crushed by reality. She knew that she was young, having just graduated from college a year and a half ago, but she also knew this was right for her.

A memory of when she had been a little girl playing in her parents' ice cream shop floated into her thoughts. Her parents had always complained about how much work it was running the place, but all she could see were the smiles on the customers' faces. They had been happy coming there, and she was happy just watching them.

When she told her parents that she wanted to run her own business, they were delighted. They thought, of course, that she meant the ice cream shop. But Kagome wanted something grander. She would always imagine the shop with a different setting--more mature, with dark, rich browns all around, dimmed lights, an atmosphere of intellect and intimacy.

She imagined a classy bar on the far left corner, with tables scattered around the room. In the center, there would be a stage, where she could host singers or bands or speakers or even poetry readings. She imagined the people flocking to her small cafe, wanting to make reservations weeks in advance but being told it was first come, first served. They would want the *experience* of it, she told herself, of walking into a place where they could forget their troubles and feel at home.

Her parents had merely smiled at her when she told them about it for the first time. But as the years went by, and as the dream grew stronger, they realized she was serious. They had promised her, on her sixteenth birthday, that after she finished college, they would refurbish their shop and turn it over to her, to run as she saw fit.

But then her father had died in a car crash, and everything had gone to hell. Her mother never really recovered from the emotional trauma, and though she remained her warm, loving self, it seemed that sometimes, she wasn't all there. The ice cream shop had suffered, and in her mother's state, she had been strong-armed into selling it.

It was that day that Kagome watched her dreams crumble into ashes for the first time.

A few years later, their mother died as well. The doctors said the strain on her heart had been too great. She had wept bitterly, realizing that she, Kikyou, and Souta truly were on their own. She had wanted to give up then, to come home from college and help Kikyou run the house. But her older sister had refused, saying that would only make things worse. No one would hire a college drop-out, she told her, but once Kagome got her degree, she could work at any place of her choosing, for enough money to let her build her own dream.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and Kagome had thrown herself into her studies, telling herself that one day, she would open her own cafe, for herself, for her parents, for the memory of the shop they lost.

When she graduated, she had been offered a position at a relatively small firm, but the pay was good. It helped ease the financial burden around the house, and coupled with Kikyou's income, they were in decent shape. And Kagome's hopes grew again--all she would have to do is work a few more years, to help put Souta through college, then she could concentrate on herself.

But the company had hit some financial trouble, and the firm began laying off several new hires--including Kagome. Last to join, first to leave, they said. Something about seniority systems and all that. It was painful, more so than she expected, especially since she had been doing a good job. So now, here she was searching for a new job, but even when she landed an interview, her heart kept her back, wanting what it wanted despite reason.

Getting up from her bed, Kagome walked over to desk and opened the top drawer, gently extracting a large folder and fingering the letters on the cover.

'Business Plan.'

Flipping through the pages, she skimmed over all the details she had planned out while she was in college. Market research, projected revenues, cost assumptions, operations plans, growth predictions, critical risks... there was so much here, so much of her heart lived in this single document.

Going to her computer, she loaded up the file, quickly scrolling down to her marketing plan. She stopped when she reached the 'Location' section, staring at the empty page. After a moment, her fingers began flying over the keyboard, typing out the details of the proposed location, its potential for drawing customers, the renovations that would have to be made, the projections of her expenses...

Though it had been hours, it seemed like only a few minutes had gone by when she heard a soft tapping at her door.

"Come in," she called out.

Kikyou opened the door and stepped inside, quickly spotting what Kagome was working on but saying nothing. "I'm leaving for work," she simply told her.

"Oh, okay," Kagome gave her sister a preoccupied smile.

Knowing she had heard her, Kikyou turned to leave, her gaze settling on the business plan lying on the desk. She looked at the cover for a moment, then up at her sister. It was amazing how much thought had gone into her plan, and Kikyou swore to herself that one day, she would make sure her sister got the chance to make that plan a reality.

She could never have imagined that that day could come so soon.

***

"So Kagome-san is still at it," Kaede chuckled softly, gazing at the young woman seated across from her as she sipped her coffee.

"She'll never let it go," Kikyou sighed, "and I don't want her to let it go. It just pains me to see her so distraught over this."

Kikyou paused to sip her own drink as well, mulling over the many conversations she'd had with her sister over the years. And Kikyou had, of course, confided many of her worries to Dr. Kaede Tanaka, her mentor and friend. The older woman seemed to have a never-ending supply of wisdom and a motherly air that Kikyou so desperately needed.

"Then let her go ahead with it," Kaede suggested.

"How? We don't have the money to finance even half of the project."

"Get a loan," she made it seem so simple.

"What bank would give us a loan?"

"Not from a bank, dear," Kaede chided, shaking her head. "Try a private investor. If your sister already has a business plan, what harm could it do to shop it around a little, see if anyone's interested in funding the venture?"

Kikyou paused thoughtfully, considering the idea. "I'd never thought of that. I guess we both assumed venture capitalists were more for big projects."

"Even so, you'll never know until you give it a try. You could get lucky."

A slow smile spread across Kikyou's face, realizing Kaede was right. Perhaps Kagome had a shot, after all... "Thank you so much," she grinned as she shot to her feet, racing over to the phone in the corner of the break room. "I'm going to call Kagome."

***

Two weeks had passed by since Kagome received that frantic, blessed call from her sister. The idea had sent a surge of energy through her, and over the next few days, she had propelled herself into perfecting her business plan.

In all honesty, it wasn't that she hadn't considered that possibility before, but she had tossed it aside early on, thinking it was a long shot. Besides, she had just started her job and was making enough money to lead her to believe she could finance the project on her own given a few years time. By the time the layoffs had come, the idea slipped from her mind completely.

But when Kikyou called, it felt right. It wasn't just that it was her older sister's way of telling her to go for it, or even that it seemed like perfect timing, but in her heart, she felt like everything was falling into place.

So, with Kikyou and Souta's help, she had researched dozens of private investment firms, eventually selecting the one she would approach first.

Ryusaki Ventures.

They were a highly respected firm, having been in the business for nearly two decades. The research she had collected showed that they had backed several highly profitable restaurant chains across the city, which meant they would be familiar with the industry. Plus, their track record with small businesses was impressive--they had gambled on more sole proprietorships than any other firm in the area.

And for some inexplicable reason, Kagome just had a good feeling about it.

So, after finishing her business plan, she had gone down to the local office and spoken with nearly half-a-dozen representatives, who bombarded her with information on policies, guidelines, hurdle rates, and everything else in between. It had taken her hours to go through all the information and answer all their preliminary questions before they finally accepted her plan for review. The last man she spoke with was a short, middle-aged, balding man named Jaken Inoue, who had informed her that he would be sending the document over to his boss to decide upon.

All Kagome could do now was wait expectantly for his phone call, hoping that her intuition was right, that this was finally her time. Looking down at the card Jaken had given her, she noted the name and title of the man that would be deciding her fate.

Sesshoumaru Ryusaki, Junior Vice President of Operations.

It was all up to him now, whether her venture would be financed, and she prayed he came through with an acceptance. After all, her dreams were in his hands.

***

Sesshoumaru Ryusaki sat silently in his spacious, yet sparsely furnished, office. Leaning back into the plush executive chair, delivered only last week, he gazed down at the business plan his assistant had given him the previous day. He had spent much of last evening and a good portion of this morning pouring over the details.

To put it simply, it was impressive.

Granted, this was the first business plan he had examined independently, but he could spot quality work when he came across it. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into the composition, a lot of time into the research. What flaws he did find in the logic were relatively minor and would be insignificant if managed properly. After all, Sesshoumaru had lost count of the number of times his father had gambled on riskier projects and come out on top.

The thought dragged his attention back to the troublesome issues that had been occupying his mind since his promotion. His father, the great Inutaisho Ryusaki, known as a builder of empires, was a highly respected man. Intelligent, compassionate, sociable: he was the ideal leader, and all of his decisions were beyond reproach.

Until now.

At the most recent executive meeting last month, Inutaisho had announced Sesshoumaru's promotion to Junior VP. After the former VP had resigned to pursue a different career path, a lot of speculation had arisen as to who would be promoted. Everyone assumed one of the Directors would be chosen, but they had no idea that the sensible Inutaisho would select his own son.

Rumors began that perhaps the calculating Sesshoumaru had somehow strong-armed his father into giving him the position. Why else would the always impartial Ryusaki-sama promote someone from Manager straight to Vice President? It might have been a different story had Sesshoumaru been a Director. Then, perhaps, people could believe that he had truly earned the promotion. But at twenty-seven, Sesshoumaru was by far the youngest executive in the company, and so the rumblings began.

Truth be told, even Sesshoumaru himself couldn't understand why his father had given him the promotion. It was true that he had consistently excelled in his former position, but it would have been much simpler to promote one of the Directors to Junior VP and give him the vacant Director's position. That was the proper chain of command, and in a hierarchical firm like Ryusaki Ventures, no one dared break that chain.

That, and the fact that he and his father had never truly gotten along. The two of them were so different, personality-wise, that they hardly ever saw eye-to-eye on anything except business. While Sesshoumaru had inherited his father's intelligence and cunning, he was far more aloof and unnerving. So the announcement had surprised him just as much, perhaps even more, than the others.

"You called for me, Sesshoumaru-sama?" a croaky voice asked from the entry-way, rousing him from his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru glanced up to see Jaken standing there patiently, waiting for permission to enter. The sight of the man brought a small smirk to Sesshoumaru's face. Annoying as he was, Jaken was probably the only employee in the organization that truly felt that Sesshoumaru deserved to be in this position.

"Come in, Jaken. I've finished reviewing the document you submitted to me, and I want you to contact Ms. Higurashi. Tell her that I would like to discuss her plan further, and schedule an appointment."

"Yes, sir," Jaken nodded as he removed the applicant's personal information from the file on Sesshoumaru's desk. "Is there anything else you require?"

"That will be all."

As Jaken left the room, Sesshoumaru swiveled his chair around to gaze out at the city below him. Being seven stories high certainly gave one an impressive view of the skyline. Once again leaning back into the chair, Sesshoumaru picked up the business plan and traced its edges lightly with his fingertip. Would this Kagome Higurashi have the drive to support the vision that was so eloquently laid out in this document?

He certainly hoped so. After all, if he decided to fund this venture, his entire future could very well rest on its success.

END PART ONE

Concluding Notes: Yes, I realize that the process of obtaining venture capital to start a business is a wee bit more complicated than this, but for the sake of moving the story's plot along, I simplified things a little. Hope no businesspeople out there are too upset with me. =)