Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this unexpected undertaking… especially for the one who pretty much spends the whole time changing a light bulb. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

Author's Note (September 2007): To state the obvious, this is… Unexpected. There are many reasons why this is so very unexpected. I shall divulge two. First, I don't often write canon pairings. This is Inu/Kag. Second, I rarely approve of taking the characters out of their natural habitat. This is AU. That's really all you need to know at this point.

NEW Author's Note (March 2021): Getting ready to continue this fic meant indulging in a (necessary) reread. There have been minor edits all the way through, and some of the (ridiculously long) chapters were divided into more manageable sections. Moving forward, my plan is to add a new chapter each month during fandom events I'm hosting over on my Ko Fi account. The schedule will be posted there. If you need more information about ANY of my stories, drop by ForthWrites dot com.

First Impression

Early September…

Kagome tapped her desk blotter as she watched a man in nondescript grey coveralls maneuver his stepladder into position. I thought I knew everybody who worked at this school.

As the new principal, she'd gone out of her way to introduce herself to everyone within her chain of command, lunch ladies, bus drivers, and maintenance workers included. Maybe he's new?

The man jogged lightly up the rungs, balancing with ease as he tapped the flickering tube of a florescent light.

"Have you worked here long?"

"Yup." With a twist, he removed the faulty light and backed down the ladder.

"I haven't seen you around."

"Nope."

"Why haven't we met?"

His eyes swept over her without much interest. "You clumsy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you break stuff, spill stuff, make messes?" He unpackaged the replacement tube.

"No."

One dark brow quirked. "Not much cause for you to see me then."

This guy is quite the character. Different. I wonder where he's been hiding. His long, black hair was far from typical, and his offhand manner bordered on unfriendly.

"I'm pretty sure the janitor had red hair," she murmured to herself.

"He does. There's two of us."

Kagome blinked. Sharp ears.

When he'd finished, she stood and offered her hand, smiling warmly into guarded violet eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Mister …?"

"It's Inuyasha. Just Inuyasha."

End Note: This drabble was written for the Live Journal community iyfic(underscore)contest and their prompt for Week 113—Chains Theme. This drabble was originally posted to Live Journal on September 14, 2007. 224 words.