Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. But I do own the plot of this fic.
Vocabulary Lesson: Beefcake is a term denoting the use of nude or semi-nude male bodies. It can refer to a genre or a person. It often is used to denote male sexual attractiveness stemming from physical build.
Kagome groaned and wondered how she had gotten herself into this situation. Sure they needed all the donations they could get but why did the life saving project have to be a calendar and why did she have to take the photos? Oh yeah, it was she that started The Hope Center for Single Mothers.
After her friend Yuka was raped and then was found to be pregnant by the rapist; her parents demanded that she abort the child. Yuka refused. She had told her parents that the child did not ask to be there but it was there and that didn't give her the right to kill the baby.
She then told them that even though it was a rape baby, it was still apart of her and that she would raise it. Her parents were furious and told her that she was to abide by their wishes or leave. It had hurt Yuka that they would give her an ultimatum such as that but she wasn't going to take the innocent life that was growing in her. So she left.
Even though she didn't have any family that would take her in she had still left. But she knew that she had friends and she went to Kagome. Kagome and her family had taken her in and helped her get on her feet. Now she was a single mother of a three year old boy and a dentist with her own practice.
It was what Yuka had experienced that had pushed Kagome to want to reach out and help other young women. She began doing research and found that there was hundreds of young women who had similar situations to Yukas'. It didn't matter if the girls' were human, hanyou, or demon they were all helped.
She had immediately began doing everything she could think of to raise money to start her foundation. Lady Luck was on her side and she recieved many donations as well as a license to have her foundation. And now it was because of her foundation that she was tearing up.
She needed volunteers for a project that her grandmother had suggested. It wasn't what she had thought it was going to be and she only had one volunteer, her brother, Sota. It had taken a lot of convincing on her mother and grandmothers' parts to get her to participate on her part.
(FLASHBACK)
"We have to do something or we will lose the foundation." Kagome Higurashi said to her mother and grandmother.
Both of the older Higurashi women nodded at the younger womans' words.
"We know dear. Your mother and I have been thinking of ways all day." her grandmother, Kaede, said.
"Did you come up with anything?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, there are many. A carwash, a bake sale, etc. But then we remembered how "well" they worked while you were in school." her mother, Midoriko, said.
"You have a point. But we need something grand. We have two months before our doors are closed unless we have the donations pouring in." Kagome said wearily.
"Well your grandmother had a wonderful idea." Midoriko said.
"Really? What is it?" Kagome asked hopefully.
"A calendar. Because you are a photographer, we thought you could take the pictures." Kaede said.
Suddenly images of cute puppies, purring little kittens, and fluffy bunnies swirled through her mind. Followed by beautiful arrangments of flowers and picturesque veiws of open fields, mountains, and sunset ocean horizons.
"Yeah I can do the photos. What kind of calendar is it?" Kagome said.
"Well dear it will be something you are not used to." Midoriko said.
"I take all kinds of photos. You know that, I can do whatever you need me to." Kagome said confidently.
"I thought that you would say that." Midoriko said.
"Hush. She has given her word that she will do it. That means no matter what it is she will do it. Right?" Kaede asked.
"Absolutely. A Higurashi woman never goes back on her word." Kagome said.
"Good. The calendar is a beefcake calendar. You will need volunteers." Kaede said.
"What is a beefcake calendar? Am I doing a calendar about cooking?" Kagome asked.
Midoriko laughed lightly and Kaede smiled.
"No dear. This calendar is a popular kind that is turned more to the female populace. They actually help bring in thousands in donations for other charities. " Midoriko explained.
"Ok. So what will be on it?" Kagome asked.
"Men." Midoriko said.
"Oh that is why I will need volunteers." Kagome said.
"Yes. You will also need to use themes for each month." Kaede said.
"Brilliant. I can see it now. I can use a soccer theme for May. Perfect." Kagome said, musing.
"Yes. He can be sweaty, dirty, muscular, and bare." Midoriko said, eyeing her daughter.
None of the words but bare had registered in Kagomes' brain. She had stiffened at that small word.
"Bare? Why would he be bare?" she asked nervously.
"That is what "Beefcake" means. Denoting the use of nude or semi-nude male bodies. It can refer to a genre or a person. It often is used to denote male sexual attractiveness stemming from physical build." her mother quoted.
"Oh no. I am not going to go to random men or even my friends and ask them to pose nude for a calendar." Kagome said.
"Remember you gave your word." Kaede reminded her.
"How am I gonna do this? They will not do this for me. I just know it." she wailed.
"Atleast you already have one volunteer." Kaede said.
"I do?" she asked softly.
"Yes. Sota has volunteered. It will help with his reputation with the ladies at the college. So he said he will do it." her mother said.
"Eww! I can not take a picture of my brother." she said.
"We know. But I can. I am his mother. So one down." Midoriko said.
"Yippee. One down and eleven to go." she said solemnly.
(FLASHBACK OVER)
"You are brilliant Higurashi. How are you going to do this?" she scolded herself as she sat at the end of the shrine steps.
"What am I going to do?" she asked aloud.
"Well that depends on what you have to do." a very familiar male voice interrupted.
Kagome turned to the holder of the voice and smiled weakly. Her best friends' father, Touga, was standing right beside her and she had been so caught up in her own thoughts she had never even noticed.
"So what do you need to do?" Touga asked, sitting next to her.
"I am trying to get some donations for my foundation." she said.
"I can help. You know I have plenty of money. I have lived about 3,000 years so money is not a problem." he said.
"No, I can't take money from you, even though it would be so much easier to do that. The girls at the foundation need to learn self-reliance and if I take money from you without working to earn it, they will think they can free-load off of people." she explained.
"I understand. So what are you doing?" he asked.
"My mother and grandmother have come up with an idea and I am not to keen on it. I have done research and found that their idea does in fact bring in much money in donations but it is embarrassing for me." she said blushing.
"Why is that?" he asked.
"I have never seen a naked man other than the time I walked in on Sota." she said.
"Why are you going to be with naked men?" he asked slightly worried.
"The idea is a beefcake calendar. I need volunteers but I don't have the guts to ask anyone." she said sheepishly.
"I'll volunteer and leave the rest to me. I'll get all the volunteers you need." he said.
Kagome smiled at Touga and gave him an appreciative once over. He looked great for his age. He was 3,000 years old, give or take
a fews years, and didn't look a day over 30. The same could be said for his sons. They would look great in a calendar. But she had one problem; how was she going to take pictures of this man when he was her father figure? She was just going to have to swallow every ounce of virginal whims and do it.
"That would be great. Sota already volunteered. So 10 more to go." she said.
She began to laugh when she saw the looked that settled over his features when she had mentioned that Sota had volunteered to pose for the calendar.
"I know what you are thinking and no. Mom will take the pictures of Sota." she said.
"That is good. Now I will call you tomarrow with all the volunteers you need." he said.
"Of course "volunteers". In that short of a time span to gather them, that tells me that you are going to threaten them." she said.
"Absolutely." Touga said smiling, she knew him so well.
"Well I will awaiting your call. Let me guess you will call me shortly after breakfast, am I right?" she asked.
"Of course. I never wait to share good news." he said.
"Thank you for helping me." Kagome said.
"You are welcome, Kagome. I will help you whenever you need me." he said.
"I know. You have always been a father to me." she said.
"Well you have always been the daughter I never had. I was unfortunately blessed with stubborn hard headed boys." he said.
"Where do you think they got that?" she asked smiling.
"You don't think I passed those terrible traits along." he said feigning hurt.
"Of course you didn't give it to them. Inuyasha got all that from his sweet, obidient, never said a cross word mother. Now Sesshomaru I can believe he recieved most of it from his mother but she is no where near as hard headed as you." she said.
"Me stubborn? Perish the thought." he said.
"Oh yes what was I thinking. You stubborn, never." she said sarcastically.
Touga rolled his eyes at her. She indeed knew him very well. He was sure that she knew him better than his past mates and even his own sons.
They sat on the steps for a long while saying nothing and watched the sun slowly slip down the horizon. It was almost dark when
Kagome stood up and stretched.
"Touga do you want to stay for dinner?" she asked.
"No I better not. I need to get started on gathering your volunteers." he said.
"Oh ok. I guess I will see you later. Bye." she said and turned to go up the shrine steps.
"Bye." he replyed after her and started towards his home.
Authors Note: I know I didn't leave it in a wonderful spot but it had to stop somewhere, didn't it? Anyways this is for my wonderful friend Raven2010 (FF.net) who keeps me laughing until I cry. Hope you love this Raven.