Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8
"Honey, I'm home!"
Kagome smiled when she heard her roomie enter their apartment. She looked back down at the pot on the stove and gave it a quick stir before moving to the cutting board full of carrots. She had almost finished when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a lock of silver hair fell over her shoulder. "So what's my wifey making for dinner?" She smacked him when he stepped back.
"Wouldn't Kikyo be hurt if she heard you call me wifey?" she asked.
As usual, he snorted and grinned. "She's not wifey material. She's not even that good in bed. But she's a hell of a lead singer." He moved to sit at the kitchen table.
For Kagome Higurashi and Inuyasha Watanabe, this was their normal evening. Both attended the same college. They met in Western Civ 1 and were inseparable for a full semester before they decided to get an apartment together.
Like all college experiences, life had it's ups and downs, but there were more good times than bad. Kagome had come home after her shift at the bookstore, cooked dinner, and then she would join Inuyasha for his band practice. After practice they would come home and work on whatever assignments were up. For the most part, it was just the two of them, though every once in a while Kikyo would join them. It amused Kagome to no end; Kikyo had it so bad for Inuyasha yet he was completely oblivious.
The buzzer on the oven went off. Kagome abandoned her shredded carrots for a moment and donned a big pair of Hello Kitty baking mitts. "Do you want me to come with you to practice tonight?" she asked as she pulled the pan of broccoli casserole out of the oven.
"Don't I always?" He got up and shut the oven door once Kagome got the casserole on the counter.
"True." Oven mitts back on the hook on the wall, Kagome began preparing their plates.
He grinned at her. "I have to have my little wifey there for moral support, remember. I'm an insecure guy without you around."
She snorted. "Insecure is the last thing you are, Inuyasha Watanabe!" If anything, he was more on the self centered side, over confident. How they ended up living together was a complete mystery, since they were complete opposites. Either way they got along wonderfully and had been the best of friends from day one.
Dinner was finished in comfortable silence, just like it always did after he asked if she was coming to practice. It was really a moot thing anymore, considering the answer was always the same. When they finished, Inuyasha took their plates to the sink and washed them while Kagome changed her clothes.
"Ready, Kagome?"
"Ready!"
The two walked out of the door hand in hand, an old beat up guitar strapped to Inuyasha's back.
-----
"Honey, I'm home!"
Kagome just smiled as she set three plates on the kitchen table.
"How's my wifey?" Inuyasha walked into the kitchen and gave her a hug from behind, pressing a kiss into her hair.
"Tired," she replied. The poor woman looked as tired as she sounded, with dark bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept properly in days. She was about to grab a set of cups off of the counter when a hand stopped her.
"Here, let me. You do WAY too much for him."
Kagome stepped back and watched Kikyo finish setting the table.
"At least you appreciate me, Kikyo," she joked as she took a seat at the table. From there she observed the woman who had Inuyasha's affections. Her dark hair always seemed to move so gracefully, never a split end, and her body was rather curvaceous. Just like Inuyasha liked his women.
"I am just afraid to come home with Yash and find you vacuuming in heels and pearls."
The table set, the three enjoyed a simple dinner.
It had been six years since Inuyasha and Kagome had moved in together, and everything yet nothing had changed.
Inuyasha still called her his wifey even though he and Kikyo had officially been dating for the past two years. They had both graduated from Tokyo University but only Kagome used her degree for any good. She worked as a graphic designer for a music magazine called "Gong", while Inuyasha had a degree in philosophy on the living room wall collecting dust. The band was still together and he made a decent living off of it. It wasn't the best living in the world, but it kept them in the apartment and kept him happy.
"So, Kagome," Inuyasha said in between bites, "You coming to practice?"
"Don't I always?"
"True."
Kikyo and Inuyasha stood and walked back to his bedroom to get his things ready for practice while Kagome washed the dishes.
Hand in hand Kikyo and Inuyasha walked out of the apartment, a guitar strapped to his back, Kagome behind them.
For Kagome the day had dragged on and on. She had sat behind her desk and plaied solitare on her computer for the past four hours. She loved working at 'Gong', but there were just some days she was down right bored. It just so happened that today was one of those days.
Apparently the other journalists and designers were in the same predicament. One of her high school classmates was walking through the row of cubicles, headed directly toward her. Though she smiled brighty, she mentally groaned. "Hi, Hojo!"
Hojo worked in the printing department, but he found many an excuse to come up the four floors thats eperated them just to say hello or see if she had eaten yet.
"Hello, Kagome!" he said happily. "How are you today?"
"You know, the usual. Busy busy busy!"
He just laughed and gestured toward her computer screen. "Have fun with your game, Kagome."
She quickly shut the game down as he walked away.
"Man, that boy is so deep in the closet that he's finding Christmas presents."
She looked up into the shining blue eyes of Kouga, another graphic designer. From the moment they met she had taken an instant liking to him, even though he tended to be a bit possessive of her.
"That's an awful thing to say, Kouga."
"But it's the truth."
Neither of them could deny thtat one. There had been rumors flying ever since they graduated, especially since they had never seen Hojo actively try to pursue anyone other than Kagome.
"So, what are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked.
She took a moment to think. "Going home, fixing dinner for Inuyasha, going to band practice with him, watching mind numbing game shows....the usual."
"How about you break away from the norm and go to dinner with me?"
She thought for a few moments. Kouga was a very sweet man, but she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to even take the effort to date him. He had a reputation of flying through women. "I don't know Kouga. Let me think about it."
Kouga smiled brightly. "At least it wasn't a no!"
"That it wasn't," she replied with a laugh.
He gave her another blinding smile of perfect white teeth before he turned around and began walking back toward his cubicle. "Think about it!" he called over his shoulder as he walked away
Kagome took a deep breath and sighed, then looked at the clock on the computer screen. 3:30.
"Eh, what the hell," she mumbled. Her boss had even taken off early, not returning from his lunch, so she doubted that anyone would miss her if she took off a few hours early.
With that thought she shut down her computer and packed her things up into her tote bag. A few extra hours would enable her to make a huge dinner for Inuyasha. He had seemed down lately, so maybe a nice heaping bowl of extra special ramen would cheer him up.
----------
Kagome wrestled with her shopping bags as she tried to unlock the door to the apartment. To her relief the door whipped open mid match.
"Oh thank god, Inu, I was having a -" she stopped and looked at the person who opened the door. "You're not Inu."
Kikyo smiled and took one of the bags from her. "You are very observant, grasshopper."
Kagome just rolled her eyes and walked into the apartment and straight to the kitchen. "Where's Yash?" she asked, as she sat the bags on the countertop.
Kikyo joined her and started to help her put away the groceries. "He and Miroku went to Buffalo's to pick up some more sound equipment. I'm rather glad, honestly. It gives me some time to think."
Both women walked out to the living room and sat on the couch. "About what?"
Kikyo shook her head. "Nothing extremely important." She looked down at her hands in her lap, picking at her perfectly manicured nails, then looked back up at Kagome. "You look like you have something to talk about though."
Kagome sighed. "There is a man at work that asked me to go to dinner with him.
Kikyo immediately brightened. "That's wonderful! What did you say?"
"You know," Kagome replied, "I wasn't sure what to tell him so I told him I'd think about it."
"Why did you say that? It's been forever since you've been out on a date. I think it would be good for you."
As much as Kagome wanted to deny it, Kikyo was right. It had been a year and a half since she had gone out with anyone, and the person she went out with was Hojo. The date turned out to be a disaster and they never dated again. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to take the time to date him. He's such a womanizer it makes me sick."
"Inu was a womanizer but I decided to give him a chance," Kikyo pointed out.
"That's not it though. I am ready for Mr. Right to come about so we can get married and start on those 2.5 kids and get a dog." Kagome leaned back. "Oh gods, I'm starting to sound like my mother," she groaned.
"You are starting to sound like my mother too," Kikyo giggled. She scrunched her face up. "Why don't you get married?" she said, in a high pitched voice, the perfect impression of her mother. "I want grandchildren, damn it!"
Both women laughed for a moment before it trailed off into an awkward silence.
"I can't see you getting married," Kagome told her, honestly. "Just like Inu has always said, you aren't the wifey type."
"That is exactly what I had come here to talk to him about." Kikyo sighed, then looked over at Kagome and grabbed her hands. "What I am about to tell you mustn't go any further than this room," she said. "Promise me." Kikyo tugged on Kagome's hands, as if she was emphasizing the point. "Please?" she pleaded.
Kagome nodded. "Cross my heart."
Kikyo took a deep breath. "I came here to break things off with Inuyasha."
"Why?" Kagome was rather shocked. They had been dating for a solid five years and things seemed perfect between the two of them.
"Things just aren't working out like I had hoped." Kikyo let go of Kagome and ran her hands through her hair. "He is looking for something more permanent. I can't deal with that."
"Why not? You have been together so long it seemed that marriage was just around the corner!"
Kikyo just shook her head. "It's not working out."
Kagome nodded in understanding. "I better start dinner." She stood from the couch and went into the kitchen, leaving Kikyo behind on the couch to think. Twenty minutes later the door to the apartment opened and she heard Inuyasha and Miroku stumble in, arguing over the equipment. She knew she promised Kikyo she wouldn't say anything, but she knew in her heart that Inuyasha was going to be devastated.
How was she going to get herself out of this one?
-------
"Kouga asked me out." Kagome looked up at him, sitting on the other side of the couch.
Inuyasha stared at her like she had grown another head. "Excuse me?"
'Great, Kagome. Ruin movie night, why don't ya?' She took a deep breath and repeated herself. "Kouga asked me to go to dinner with him."
Emotions ran though Inuyasha's eyes, ranging from anger to hurt to jealousy. "Good."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Pardon?" This wasn't her Inu. Her Inu would flip out and scream at her, saying he wanted to keep her at home where he knew where she was at all times. Something was definitely wrong.
"Good. It's about time you started seeing someone." He scooted over to her and wrapped his arm around her. "It will be good for you."
She snuggled into his chest. "I hope you are right," she mumbled. "Who are you and what have you done with my Inu?" she asked. She grabbed a piece of his long hair and started to toy with it.
Inuyasha laughed. "Still here, just not feeling like my normal self."
"What's wrong?"
He pulled his arm back and stood up. "I don't want to talk about it."
Kagome stared at the action movie that was playing on the screen as he stomped back to his bedroom and slammed the door. "So much for that."
First thing the next morning, Kagome approached Kouga and told him she would be delighted to go to dinner with him. In the back of her mind, she had a horrible feeling about it. He was a notorious womanizer and she was afraid that she would get attached only to have him hop off with another woman after he got tired of her.
Throughout the day he walked by her cubicle and smiled knowingly at her, like they were a part of some huge secret. She, of course, would return his smiles with a smile of her own and a pleasant blush.
For the second day in a row Kagome left work a bit early, this time so she could get ready for her date. In her mind she had her outfit completely planned out: a simple dress and cardigan set, with matching wedges. It was sweet with a hint of sex appeal, as Inu pointed out to her the first time she wore it.
She breezed through the apartment door and found Inuyasha looking rather glum on the couch. He looked at her and gave her a half smile, which she returned, but she knew that going to him now was the wrong thing to do. He had that look on his face that said 'leave me alone'. Kagome happily obliged and went about her business of getting ready instead of just standing there and taking the brunt of his frustrations.
Three hours later she looked and felt fantastic. The green dress fell to her knees, the sweater covered her shoulders, and the wedges gave her a little added height that she would need next to Kouga who stood nearly a head taller than her when she wore flats. She felt covered enough yet elegant at the same time.
She emerged from her room when the doorbell rang. Inu was still on the couch looking like someone had kicked his dog.
"My date is here," she said, at least wanting him to know where she was going.
"Keh."
"We are going to America to get married."
"Keh."
"We're going to have a billion babies."
"Keh."
Kagome gave up. There was no getting through to him. Instead, she opened the door and was greeted by Kouga's smiling face.
"Hello, gorgeous!" From behind his back he whipped out a bundle of daisies. "Some flowers for my flower!" He gave her his 'million dollar' grin.
Right on cue Kagome blushed prettily and accepted the flowers. "Let me put these into some water." Quickly she went into the kitchen and put the flowers into some water. Inuyasha was notorious for driving her dates away before they even got to go out. He may have been in a strange state of mind, but Kagome never knew what he'd do when in the presence of a man trying to take his 'wifey' away.
Oddly enough, when she came back into the living room to usher Kouga out of the apartment, Inuyasha was still looking glum like he hadn't said two words to Kouga at all. Of course she thought it strange, but came to the conclusion that she would get to the bottom of it when she returned from her date.
"Ready?" She gave Kouga her best smile, and took his arm when he offered it to her. "I'll be home later, Inuyasha!"
"Keh."
Rather unsettled, Kagome let Kouga usher her out of the apartment.
"So, where are we going tonight?"
Kouga grinned. "Have you ever been to Bistrot La Cucina*?"
Kagome's eyes widened. She had always dreamed of going to that place, but sadly she didn't make enough to afford much of anything in there. "You are taking me to Bistrot La Cucina?"
"That's what I said, isn't it, babe?"
She was blown away that he was going to take her there. Inuyasha and Kikyo managed to get in only once, and the both said that almost every wine on the list was well over their Y5,000* price range. Then there was the food poisoning scare.
Either way she was going to eat there and enjoy it, possibly even buy the most expensive glass of wine on the menu. Kagome smiled smugly. Even if she had to eat less to afford that wine, it would be well worth it.
----------
"Damn it, I told you I wanted this pasta al dente! This is not al dente!"
Kagome wanted to crawl under a rock and die. From the moment they stepped over the threshold, Kouga went from her sweet and kind date to some sort of culinary monster. Everything had to be just to his taste, and if it was even just the slightest bit off, he would scream at their poor waitress.
So far she had gone through three glasses of wine, under the impression that if she was able to get moderately buzzed that this date would still be salvageable.
"So, anyway, I told him that if I couldn't do the shoot my way, then it wouldn't happen at all." Kouga took a sip of his wine. "Myouga gave me a huge pay raise that day, for putting my foot down and getting my vision captured in the photographs."
Kagome nodded and smiled. She knew that if she said anything about herself, he would twist her words and turn it into something about him.
"Did I ever tell you that I was one of the most highly sought photographers in Japan before I took the job with that little rat hole Gong? I used to have people from...."
'Must get through dinner....might not have this chance again....' She tried her best to keep her perfect smile.
At work, Kouga was a totally different person. Yes, he was quite self centered (or 'confident', as he liked to call it), but he worked like a dog and got what needed to be done taken care of. Only after that would he start to play around the office and flirt with anything with a nice rack.
Kouga stopped his rambling for a moment to take a bite out of the pasta dish that was just set in front of him by a waitress who looked like she was about to cry at any moment. "There is a fingerprint on this plate from bad handling in the kitchens, but it is suitable." He nodded and waved the poor woman away. "How has your dinner been?"
Kagome looked down at her empty plate, which she finished nearly twenty minutes prior. "The meal was wonderful."
He got a strange look on his face. "They didn't screw it up did they?"
Rapidly she shook her head. "No, no. It was perfect."
Kouga nodded. "Good. I didn't want to have to call that girl over again. She can't seem to do anything right."
"Kouga, she isn't the one who cooked the food. She just brought it here. You should be screaming at the kitchen staff, not that poor girl."
He snorted. "She will varda the message."
The rest of the dinner was completed in silence on Kagome's part, while Kouga went on to talk about himself more. His stint at Tokyo University. His internship with Rolling Stone in America. The first time he met David LaChapelle. The expensive home his father owned in the countryside. His collection of cars at father's said expensive home in the countryside. This man was almost too much for her to take. Never in her life had she been on a date like this. All he cared to talk about was work, himself, and how badly the restaurant was treating him. All she wanted to do was go home and curl up under her big comforter in her comfy pajamas with a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.
Finally Kouga set his silverware down and called the shaking waitress over for the bill. "Even though I should demand this food free," he told her haughtily when she got to the table, "I'd like to see the bill."
The waitress quickly produced the bill and skittered away like an abused animal.
"Please excuse me." Kagome got up and darted away from the table, in search of the poor woman who had been serving them. Over in a corner near the kitchen doors she finally found her.
Carefully Kagome approached her. "Excuse me?" she said, in a gentle voice.
"Did I do something wrong again?" The woman asked. She looked shaken and partially angry.
Kagome smiled and shook her head in reassurance. "I'm sorry about my date's attitude tonight. He had no reason to treat you like that." She fished through her purse and pulled out a Y5,000 note. "I doubt he is going to tip you at all, and you deserve something for putting up with his attitude."
The waitress took the note gratefully. "Thank you very much," she said, bowing deeply.
"Don't worry about it." Kagome smiled at her one last time before going back to the table.
"Ready to go, babe?" Once again he gave her that grin that just screamed 'I'm taking you home tonight', the one that made Kagome want to punch him in the face.
Kagome nodded quickly, ready to get the hell out of there.
He escorted her through the restaurant and out onto the sidewalk. "So would you like to come back to my place for coffee?"
Again with that look.
"I'm sorry, Kouga, but I'd rather go home. Inuyasha was in a foul mood and I should have never agreed to come out tonight in the first place." She wasn't completely lying. Inuyasha was in a foul mood, and she probably should have never agreed to come out even though she wouldn't have been able to do anything for Inuyasha.
Kouga sighed. "Alright, but I've got some pretty good coffee!"
She laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow at work." At that she walked the opposite direction, headed for the nearest train station.
----------
Kagome waited until she got off at her stop before she let the tears start to flow. That was the worst date in the history of dates. If that was how men were, she wanted nothing to do with them for the rest of her life.
She wanted her mama.
Mama always had the right answers.
When Kagome finally walked into the apartment she heard Inuyasha screaming.
"Life doesn't work that way, Kikyo!"
Quickly she wiped away the tears and came into the living room.
"I'm not going to do that! Look, we aren't as young as we used to be."
She tried to sneak past him, but he caught sight of her before she could reach the hallway.
"Kagome just got home and she looks like a mess, I've got to go." Without saying goodbye, he hung up the phone. "Do I have to kick that flea bag's ass?"
Leave it to Inuyasha to say something that would make the night not seem so bad.
Kagome shook her head and wiped away the tears that started to pool in her eyes. "It was the worst date in the history of dates Inu."
He didn't ask anymore questions, just dropped his phone onto the couch and came over to her, wrapping her into a tight hug.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, burring his face into her hair.
Kagome shook her head, though she wanted to will him to keep talking, to continue that comforting rumble in his chest.
"Maybe you should get some rest. I can't have my wifey in a bad mood. Who would take care of me then?"
And that was all it took.
The tears she had tried so hard to hold back came to the surface, and Inuyasha just held her as she cried out her frustrations into his chest.
The next morning at work Kagome was still feeling worse for wear. After she had cried for a few hours Inuyasha had finally decided to bathe her and put her to bed. He stayed when she asked him to, and she got the worst sleep of her life. Inuyasha tried to make it better by rubbing her back and whispering soothing words into her hair, but none of it helped. The thought that her first date in years was a disaster was on the forefront of her mind, as well as thoughts that she wasn't relationship material. About an hour before her alarm clock went off she confessed to Inuyasha that she was going to get a cat, only the first in her collection as she began to live the life of a spinster.
Calmly she sat in her desk chair and sipped her coffee, formulating her plan for the day. One article to write, one page layout to do. At least she would have something to do to keep her mind off of the awful date last night, and feelings of possible inadequacy. Time for a nice peaceful day.
Or not.
Down the hall came the current bane of her existence, strutting like a show dog, smiling at every female in sight. After what Kagome considered a horrible date the night before, Kouga looked rather dashing and fresh as a daisy. She even swore that his bright blue eyes were twinkling a bit more than usual.
That could only mean one thing.
He was going to ask her to go out again.
Kagome steadied herself and waited for the happy go lucky man to come and ask her to go out with him again. Of course she would say that she really appreciated his friendship, and that he was a wonderfully sweet man, but she felt that they just weren't right for one another. Yes, that is exactly what she would say to him!
As if it was perfectly planned, Kouga made it to the cubicle right as Kagome spun around in her chair.
"Hey, beautiful!" he greeted with an enormous smile. He leaned down as if he was going to kiss her, but Kagome scooted her chair away so he missed. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, curiously.
'Like you don't know, Kagome thought, grimly. Instead, she put on a small smile, the 'I'm sorry' smile as her mother called it, and readied herself for the possible argument from him. "Kouga, I don't think we should see each other anymore." There. It was said.
Kouga's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Was it something I said last night?"
'Only everything.' Kagome shook her head. "No, no. Nothing like that. I just don't think I'm ready to date yet." She tried to make it sound as sincere as possible, though she knew in her mind that it didn't sound near as sincere as she wanted it to be.
His eyebrows shot to his hair line. "Not ready to date? You've been single for the past two years!" he shrieked.
She immediately went on the defensive. "Excuse me? How the hell would you know?"
He laughed haughtily. "Everyone knows you haven't had a date since you dated Michiru Kururugi! I bet he ruined you for other men."
She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream that Michiru was really gay, and that they only dated because their grandfathers tried to match them, to continue their family lines as so called 'holy people'. Instead she took a deep breath. She was going to solve this neatly with dignity. "Kouga. I don't want to see you again. End of discussion." Quickly she turned her chair back to her desk and opened one of the documents she was supposed to be working on that day.
Instead of leaving, Kouga leaned on the side of the cubicle, toward Eri's side. "So, beautiful. Want to go out to dinner with me tonight?"
Eri's face lit up. "That would be great, Kouga!" She waited until Kouga walked away, with even more of a bounce in his step, before she shot Kagome a smug grin. "I'm sure I'll enjoy him," she said brightly.
Kagome contained her anger and continued her work. If only the day would end sooner.
----------
As if her boss knew she wanted to leave early he slammed more work onto her. Kagome didn't stumble out of the office until nearly seven that night, dead tired. Out parked at the curb was Inuyasha's sleek yet economical Toyota Platz. He sat in the driver's seat, drumming wildly on the steering wheel, screeching some heavy metal song that blasted through the speakers.
Kagome swung the door open and plopped down into the seat. "Will you turn that crap off?" she asked, then reaching for the volume knob.
Inuyasha batted her hand away. "This is not crap!" he said defensively, though he did turn the volume down to a decent level. "Hot Asphalt could only aspire to be this awesome!"
She just rolled her eyes. "Home, my faithful driver!" she commanded, with a wink.
"I'll show you faithful," he growled in threat, but instead just pulled away from the curb. "So, what's for dinner tonight, wifey? Or are you going out again?"
"Why don't you make dinner for once?"
"Because you know I'll burn it and ruin your pans," he replied, quite honestly. The last time had had attempted to cook anything at all, it was an oven pizza, which he forgot to take off the cardboard off of the bottom and nearly destroyed the oven. The apartment managers weren't very amused.
"We're getting takeout then," Kagome decided. "I don't feel like cooking. Stressful day."
Inuyasha nodded in understanding.
Twenty minutes later they were in the apartment and Inuyasha was ordering food. Kikyo sat on the couch, but she immediately arose from her seat when the two walked into the door and shocked Kagome by throwing her arms around her.
"Inuyasha told me what happened last night," she said, as she slowly petted the shorter woman's hair, "and I think it is awful." She pulled away, but still held Kagome by the arms. "I think I have the perfect solution!"
Kagome giggled nervously, almost afraid to hear of her 'solution', and stepped back. "Can it wait until I get my things put away?"
Kikyo laughed. "Sorry, sorry. Got ahead of myself. Go put your things away and then I'll tell you about my brilliant plan!"
Kagome wasn't sure if she should be scared or nervous, or both. Kikyo wasn't famous for her brilliant plans. More often than not they ended up falling through and making Kikyo look like an idiot in the end. In her bedroom, Kagome took extra time to cool down. After the horrible morning, and even more horrible evening, she wasn't sure she even wanted to deal with plans, Kikyo, or Kikyo's brilliant plans. It was just the thing that could make the day that much worse.
Dressed in her comfy yet stylish track suit set Kagome emerged from the bedroom, ready to face the music.
She had taken so long that Inuyasha and Kikyo were both at the kitchen table, eating the food that had been delivered. In her usual spot sat a plate with her favorites. She knew Inuyasha made sure it was set out first, something that she knew in her heart bugged Kikyo to no end.
She came and sat at the table. "So, what is your brilliant plan?"
"Plan?" Inuyasha asked, his mouth full of food.
Kikyo put down her utensils and smiled sweetly at Kagome. "Ok, I know you probably won't want to go out on another date so soon, but you will love the guy I have in mind for you."
Kagome raised her eyebrow. "I will?"
The other woman smiled and nodded. "It's a guy I went to high school with. He's an entomologist with Tokyo University."
That sounded promising. He had a good job at the university and possibly a doctorate, meaning he would have something interesting to talk about. He had to be good looking. Everyone that knew Kikyo knew that she didn't spend much time around anyone if the weren't attractive in some way, shape, or form. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "I'll meet him."
"Great!" Kikyo's entire face lit up. She reached to her back pocket and fished out a card, which she promptly slid across the table to Kagome. "I'll set everything up, but here is his card, in case you want to start the show a little early." She winked lasciviously.
Kagome looked down at the card in her hands.
Dr. Naraku Kumo
Department of Entemology
03-3027-2070
kumon@u-tokyo.co.jp
"Thanks, Kikyo. It is safe to say I don't have the courage, so you will be setting all of this up." Kagome put the card into her sweater pocket.
"He's amazing!" Kikyo gushed, blind to the seething looks that Inuyasha was sending in her direction. "He's amazingly smart, in both business and life, but the idiot decided that he would study bugs for a living. Really gross I think. He's about as tall as Inu, with really long black hair and...."
Kagome wondered if Kikyo was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. On and on and on, it was if taking a breath when talking about this Naraku person would be blasphemous. Finally Kagome grew ill of it and stood from the table, then took her plate to the sink. "Hopefully things will turn out ok!" she said, brightly. "I'm beat. Night, guys!" On her way out of the kitchen she gave Inu a light hug where he sat in the chair, and pecked Kikyo on the cheek.
Her room was her sanctuary, where Kikyo couldn't come and upset the balance.
She tossed her hair up into a ponytail and stripped out of her track suit, slipping between the covers in just a pair of panties. "Aah," she sighed blissfully. Peace and quiet, with nothing but her, her cool sheets against her skin, and her super soft pillow that she had stolen from Inu. Life was good as long as she was in this bed.
----------
Her pleasant sanctuary was being breeched. There was something warm was wrapped around her body. Something that was large, muscled, and smelled suspiciously like Chanel Egoist. Something that smelled like Inuyasha.
Kagome's eyes snapped open. Instead of a calming blue wall, her gaze was blocked by a mass of black hair. She reached up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Inu? What time is it?"
The hair in her eyes moved when Inuyasha pulled his face out of her throat. "Kikyo broke up with me." His normally calm violet eyes were bloodshot and there were dried tear tracks on his cheeks. "She said I wanted too much, and she broke up with me."
As his eyes pooled with tears once more Kagome pushed his face back down into her throat and held him. Everything seemed to be perfect between the two of them, other than the argument the night before. The argument. That is what it had to have been about. "You wanted too much?"
"I got her a ring. I tried to give it to her, and she refused it." He sighed shakily and gripped Kagome tighter. "How could she do that to me?"
Kagome started to stroke his hair. "Like you always told me, she's just not the marrying type."
He nodded against her shoulder. "You're right 'Gome. You're always right."
She laughed lightly. "Not always right."
"Usually," he responded grimly.
"It's not that I'm always right, you are just usually wrong."
He poked her in the ribs and laughed, even though it sounded more melancholy than joyful. "See, right again."
Then he was silent. Kagome glanced over at the bedside table at the clock. "Inu, it's two thirty in the morning."
"Yes it is."
"You realize I'm still naked, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"And?"
"And I've seen it before and it's nothing special."
Kagome huffed. "You aren't anything special yourself, mister."
"Kagome?" he asked, sounding more like a child than she had ever heard him sound before.
"Yeah?"
"Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"
She nodded against his hair. "Sure." She rooted around to get comfortable, all the while keeping her grip on Inuyasha. "Hey, Inu?"
"Yeah?"
"If we aren't married by thirty, want to do it just to do it?"
He laughed again, this one sounding completely genuine. "Sure."
Chapter 5
At ten that morning, Kagome stood at the entrance gate of the Ueno Zoo waiting for her date. Kikyo had called her at seven and woken her up, which was decidedly a good thing since Inuyasha had drooled in his sleep and she had a small pond of spit in between her breasts. He apologized profusely, but it was still the last way Kagome wanted to wake up in the morning.
Kikyo had told her to be there at ten sharp. Naraku was not a man that liked to be kept waiting, and was ordinarily very prompt be it business or pleasure.
So here she was, looking comfortable in a sun dress and wedges, and there was no Naraku. She was adjusting her floppy hat, which was being battered by the wind, when she sensed a strange presence behind her. She turned around and a handsome man stood smiling at her. His long dark hair was nearly down to his waist, but kept back in a tight braid. Even his eyes were a rather mesmerizing shade of maroon. "You must be Kagome," he said to her, his voice dark and rich, enough to make any woman melt.
Kagome smiled at him and nodded. "The one and only!"
Naraku offered her his arm. "Shall we go?"
She nodded. "That would be great."
He led her through the gates, completely bypassing the ticket area. "Naraku? We are supposed to get tickets."
"As one of the entomologists at Tokyo University, who just so happens to work with the zoo with their insect and reptile exhibit, I have access whenever I please." He smiled at her and tugged her to the over to the Japanese Crane area.
As if proving his point, one of the zoo employees passed by and nodded at them. "Good morning, Kumo-san. Pleasant weather we are having."
Naraku nodded in return. "Yes, excellent weather."
Kagome watched as the man walked away, then turned to the cranes. "We used to have these on the shrine," she commented offhandedly. There was a family of three cranes that lived on the shrine grounds, that she and Souta had named Mama-crane, Souta-crane, and Kagome-crane. They were a very rare sight indeed, as they are one of the rarest breeds of cranes in the world, but a pleasant sight as they are considered a symbol of longevity.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a loud sigh from Naraku. "These cranes remind me of Kikyo," he said, dreamily.
'Loud and curvy?' Kagome wanted to shoot back, but she held her tongue.
"They are just so graceful, just like she is." He sighed again. "Where would you like to go now?"
"What about the monkeys?" she suggested, all the while glancing at her map. "They aren't very far away."
He smiled. "I have always liked monkeys," he said in that rich voice that was beginning to make Kagome weak in the knees.
Still on his arm, Kagome allowed herself to be led to the monkey area. They were silent when they arrived, both content just watching the different types of monkeys play. They stopped when they reached the section with the baboons. Naraku pointed toward a troupe of Hamadryas baboons. "I have always liked the color of their coats."
Kagome smiled as she spotted a mother cuddling her baby. "Look at those two," she said, happily. Both mother and young looked extremely content, the baby ready to fall asleep.
"Would you mind if we went to the vivarium now?" He looked like he was antsy to get away from the monkey house.
"Okay," she agreed, and let him lead the way.
She had no idea that the vivarium was on the other side of the park completely, and Naraku refused to take the monorail from one side to the other. She looked longingly at the families that they passed; mothers wiping ice cream off of their children's faces in the food courts, fathers toting dozing toddlers, holding them tightly to their chests. Naraku, of course, paid no mind to her longing looks and sighs. Instead, he spoke softly about subjects ranging from his job to his admiration of Kikyo.
"Kikyo has never been as smart as I am, but she has always had looks to make up for it," he said. "Her voice isn't even that good, but the way she moves her body is absolutely mesmerizing."
Kagome tried to ignore that one. Didn't this man know it wasn't polite to speak of another woman in such a praising tone if you were on a date? At least if you were looking to go out again. At the rate he was going she was tempted to call Inu and have him come get her.
"Did Kikyo ever tell you that she used to have snakes?" he asked, offhandedly. "It's how we met, when she bought her first one in the pet store I worked at. We were both fifteen."
The moment they made it into the vivarium he made a b-line to the snakes. There were snakes of every shape, length, color, even temperament. Kagome stood in front of a tank with a Burmese python inside, looking rather irritable. She grimaced and stepped away, right into a handler that was holding a young albino Burmese python coiled around his arm. "Sorry," she apologized, bowing politely.
"No need," the handsome man said with a smile. "Just taking Butterscotch here out for a visit with the guests." He gently petted the snake that was trying to travel from his arm to Kagome. "Looks like she has taken a liking to you! Want to hold her?"
Kagome's eyes widened a bit. She wasn't very fond of snakes.
"She won't bite, I promise," he said, sounding completely genuine.
"Well..." Kagome trailed off, but held out her arm to accept the snake. Her skin began to crawl when she felt the snake move over her arm, slowly starting to twist around her wrist, it's tongue flicking out repeatedly as it scented her.
"See," said the man, who Kagome identified as Shin from his name tag.
Looking down at the creature now fully on her arm, Kagome smiled. This wasn't such a bad creature, even though in less than a year it would be seven feet long. She reached over with her other hand and began to gently stroke the snake, as she had seen the handler do. "You are a good little snake, aren't you?" she cooed.
Shin just grinned as he watched the pretty woman talking and caressing what he considered the only other woman in his life.
"Make a new friend?"
Kagome's head shot up when she heard Naraku's voice. "My date had abandoned me, so I found myself a new one!" She held out her arm to Shin, who began to uncoil the snake. "Thank you," she said to him, after Butterscotch was firmly coiled around the handler's arm once more.
He just nodded and walked away.
"Such a beautiful golden color," Naraku commented. "Much like the golden flecks in Kikyo's eyes..." he drifted off dreamily.
"That's it!" Kagome screeched, causing several families to look up from the different exhibits. "Kikyo, Kikyo, Kikyo," she whined, similar to everyone's favorite Brady Bunch catch phrase. "If it makes you feel any better, she and Inuyasha broke up last night so she's free for the taking!" She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, expecting an apology and hopefully maybe an offer of lunch.
Instead, Naraku's face brightened up into a blinding smile. "Free, you say?"
"Yes, free. On the market. Single. Unattached. Free!" She threw her hands up in the air and turned her back to him. The nerve of that man!
When she turned around again to face him, Naraku was gone.
'That bastard abandoned me at the zoo!' Her face curled into a grimace. What a jerk!
She reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. Hopefully Inuyasha wasn't busy.
----------
Kagome waited quietly at the curb, munching on a yakitori that was actually quite rubbery and not very appetizing. Soon enough Inuyasha's little Platz rolled up to the curb, the window rolled down. "Need a ride, little lady?"
She smiled at her savior and jumped into the car. "The little twit left me there!" she seethed. "After he spent the entire 'date' talking about Kikyo and his job."
Inuyasha laughed. "I thought that an educated man would be...how did you put it last night? Stimulating?" He waggled his eyebrows and flicked his tongue at her.
"Oh, shut up," she said, smacking him on the arm.
He checked traffic around him and pulled away from the curb. "Want to grab something with more substance than your fake chicken on a stick?"
"Oh yeah."
"Great! I've got a friend who just opened a ramen shop!"
Kagome put her head in the hand that wasn't gripping the yakitori. Of course Inuyasha would want ramen. She really wanted some of mama's oden. That always made everything better.
Neither of them spoke again until their bowls of ramen were in front of them.
"I talked to Kikyo this morning," he said quietly.
'Great. He's in for another world of pain.' "Yeah?" she said, in an attempt to sound interested.
"Yeah." He took a slurpy bite of the warm noodles. "We agreed to be friends."
"Friends? Usually ex's staying friends doesn't work out very well." She played around with her noodles with her chopsticks, stirring them back and forth.
Inuyasha snorted. "I'm willing to be friends for the sake of the band."
"Is that the only reason?" she asked. In the back of her mind she knew he still loved Kikyo. One wasn't with someone that long and didn't have some sort of feeling for them. Those feelings of love just couldn't be turned off like a light switch.
He nodded resolutely. "Yes. That's the only reason."
Their meal was finished in silence.
"Those were not lyrics," Sango Ito said across the table, raising her voice a bit, making sure that she was heard over the loud music in the bar. She was already feeling rather tipsy, and her normally pale cheeks were pink.
"What do you mean? Those lyrics are awesome!" Miroku Motohashi nearly shouted back. "I wrote them myself!"
Sango rolled her eyes. "You need to let Trenton write and stick to your bass!" She gestured over to the other side of the table to the band's drummer, Trenton Belushi, who was perched next to a rather pretty girl that seemed to be enjoying playing with his long blond hair. During Miroku's college years in America, the two had met and become inseparable. When the band got together, Trenton dropped whatever business he had going in the US and flew to Tokyo, and began writing for the band. It wasn't something entirely unique, his lyrics, but Kikyo loved the broken Japanese/English so much that she insisted that he do all of the writing from that point on.
Miroku shook his head. "Nah, mine are better!"
"That would explain your lack of a recording contract," Kagome tossed in, shrugging her shoulders.
"Nah," Inuyasha said, sitting next to her. "That would be Sesshoumaru wanting to hold out for more money."
Their manager, and Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru piped up. "You wanted to go big, you will go big. In time, little brother."
"Yeah, sure," Inuyasha replied, wrinkling his nose. Fame just wasn't coming fast enough for his tastes.
Overall, Kagome was rather pleased with the evening. She had joined the bad at Miroku and Sango's place, hanging out in their soundproofed studio room while the band played some of the most awful songs known to man. It was nice to spend time with Sango for once. They both worked extremely hectic schedules, Sango more so with her job as a crime scene investigator with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
"So, how did your date go?" Sango asked, leaning over to Kagome.
Kagome gestured over to Kikyo, who seemed rather smittenly wrapped around Naraku. "That says it all."
"Aren't you angry?"
"Not at all." Kagome shook her head. "It was a boring date, overall. He took me to a damn zoo! Better than when I went out with Kouga, that's for sure."
Sango patted Kagome's hand in understanding. "Men are pigs. I'm sure you will find the right one eventually."
"With all of these bad dates, I think I just want to give up!" She took a sip of her beer, wanting to get the bad taste of the dates out of her mouth and mind.
"I can make sure you have a good time on a date, if you catch my drift," Miroku joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Kagome straightened her posture. "Is that a fact?"
He nodded. "It is a proven fact that I am a great date, thank you very much."
Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, you dance yourself from the club directly to her bed."
"Sometimes we don't even make it to the bed," Miroku said proudly, as if it were his greatest achievement in life.
"And that, my friend, is why I have never dated you." Kagome was done with thirty minute date, then find a love hotel. She wanted something solid, something that would last more than a week and a few rough and tumbles in either her bed or his. She was getting too old for that crap.
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "I think you should give it a try."
"What's in it for me?"
"A nice dinner, a show, possibly coffee."
Kagome shook her head. "Too simple, for you."
Miroku shrugged. "Fine. I have some friends from another local band that invited me to check out their next show in a few days. I'm sure you know who they are. Inu says that you dig these guys."
Kagome leaned forward. He surely couldn't mean...."You have Wishful Thinking tickets?"
He smiled and nodded. "Jak gave them to me, told me to bring a pretty girl. And you, Kagome Higurashi, definitely qualify. What do you say?"
Kagome flew from her chair and around the table, trapping Miroku in a big bear hug. "You are the greatest!"
Miroku laughed. "Tell me something I don't know, doll!"
As Kagome rounded the table back to her seat, she could see the jealousy shining in Sango's eyes. It wasn't going to work out anyway. She would just do the same thing she did with Naraku; after the bad date tell Miroku Sango really liked him and that would be the end of that. At least two more people in her life would be happy.
----------
Tomorrow's high will be around 24C. Look out for rain, people!
"Inuyasha?"
And now to Heero for sports!
"Inuyasha?"
The rest of the evening at the bar had been pleasant. She and Sango sang karaoke while the boys took part in idiotic drinking games. Then, after Inuyasha had a 'heart to heart' with Miroku, they went to a late night restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Now, sitting on the couch in the apartment, Inuyasha was ignoring her. She knew without a doubt that she was upset with her, since he never ignored her unless he was upset.
"Why did you agree to go to the show with him?" His eyes never left the television screen.
Then it hit her. "You wanted to go to that Wishful Thinking show, didn't you?" She should have known! Inuyasha was known to drive around blasting the band's music at ear splitting levels, and every once in a while don one of their t-shirts.
"No. I just don't want you to go." Short and to the point.
"Why not? It will be something fun for me to do!"
"Because I don't want you going out with Miroku!"
Men! And their jealousy! "If that was the case, you could have said we already had plans!"
He finally turned to her. "And upset you in the bar! No thanks!" He scooted a few inches over and grabbed her hands. "If that bastard hurts you, I'll kill him. I swear it."
Kagome giggled. "I'm just going for the concert. Didn't you see the anger in Sango's eyes when he asked me to go?"
"Then tell her to go!"
"I'm going to drop a few hints the night of the show," she said, gripping the hands that still held hers. "You don't think I actually want to date that pervert, do you?"
Inuyasha's stiff form slouched a little. "Will you bring me a t-shirt?"
She smiled brightly. "I'll get it autographed if I can."
Crisis averted, the two enjoyed the rest of their evening watching the news.
Chapter 7
The venue that night was packed. People ranging from trendy twenty somethings to grunge heads were packed into the small club that Kagome almost wondered if it were violating fire codes. The only place that wasn't near as packed was the bar - she assumed that the bar would be just as packed with people wanting to get a good buzz before the band hit the stage.
She clung to Miroku as they made their way through the throng of people. She nearly fell a few times, thanks to the super cute strappy sandals that she chose to wear (and was now considering it a mistake), but her firm grip on Miroku's silk shirt kept her on her feet. Yes, silk, which he reminded her every time she tugged on it particularly hard.
They found their way to a table up on the balcony section of the club. "I made sure to get a table," he informed her, "the crowd tends to get rather rowdy during Wishful Thinking's sets."
Rowdy or not, Kagome was tickled to death. She had always wanted to come see these guys. Of course the clubs were always packed to the max so she could never get in. She just hoped that she would be able to get Yash another t-shirt before the left, if they didn't sell out. They were seeing one of the hottest unsigned bands in all of Tokyo, and to be perfectly honest Kagome was positive that there was no other place she'd rather be right now.
"Drink?"
She grinned at Miroku. "Cosmo, please!"
He snorted. "Such a girl drink."
"If you hadn't noticed, you are here with a girl!" She crossed her arms and pouted, the same pout she used on Inuyasha to get her way if need be.
"Oh, believe me, I've noticed." He gave her a lascivious grin and a wink before heading back down the steps of the balcony and over to the bar.
Kagome took the time to survey some of the people. Already she had spotted a few actors and a couple of idol girls. That really didn't faze her, considering what she did for a living and meeting famous people was all a part of the job sometimes. It was the range of producers she had spotted that made her get really excited.
When Miroku resurfaced with her drink, she noticed that he had a nice red lipstick smear over the side of his neck.
"Get attacked by a giant set of lips between here and the bar?" she asked, almost bitterly as she took her drink.
Miroku rubbed at his neck. "No?"
"Shiseido. P23 Real Red."
"Ok, ok," he finally said. "I ran into an old friend when I was on the way back from the bar, and - "
"Don't," Kagome ground out, holding up her hand. "Just don't." She downed the last of her drink and headed toward the floor below. She didn't have to wait long for the band to come on stage, thank goodness.
Jakotsu looked absolutely fabulous on stage, with his eccentric mix of glamour and goth style. Compared to the other members of the band, he looked almost larger than life with his hair semi-teased and his big platform boots. She laughed at all of the girls squealing for his attention; it was no secret that Jak liked his lovers of the male persuasion.
Just when she was beginning to have a really good time, dancing her heart out with some of the other girls in the crowd, she felt a hand run down from her lower back to her backside, where said hand began to squeeze. She couldn't exactly swing around and hurt her attacker in such a packed area, so she did the next best thing: using her sharp and pointy elbows to give the groper a wake-up call. She was rewarded with a squeal so high pitched that she was able to hear it above Jak's crooning version of "Love Potion Number Nine".
She swung around to face Miroku. "What the hell??" she screeched.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "It was just there...and so perky!"
"You are such a pervert!"
"I never denied that, my dear."
The rest of the set was just as fabulous in terms of music. They did a mixed set of original songs plus a few cover songs that had been fan favorites since they had really become popular. Kagome managed to fend off Miroku's advances for the better part of the night, thank goodness, though if he wasn't careful he was going to end the night with a black eye while she ended the night with an aching fist.
As soon as the set ended, Miroku grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the stage door. "Miroku, what are you doing?" She tried to pull her hand away, but he held fast.
"It's a surprise."
The bouncers at the door just nodded as Miroku pulled the squirming Kagome through, back to where the band was laughing and having a general good time.
"Miroku, baby!"
Kagome freed her hand as Jakotsu, who stood a head taller than Miroku in his platforms, came up and embraced them both. "What did you think?" he asked, eagerly.
Miroku nodded and offered a thumbs up. "Great set, man, as always."
Jakotsu grinned and hugged Miroku once more, before setting his sights on Kagome. "And who is this little turtle dove?" he asked Miroku over his shoulder. "She's so tiny and adorable!"
"That's Kagome Higurashi, my date."
Another man, Bankotsu, approached Jakotsu and Kagome. "Well, she doesn't exactly look like she's having a good time."
Jakotsu shook his head. "Not at all. We could show her a good time, couldn't we, Bank?"
Kagome's cheeks turned as pink as the cosmo she had earlier. "Nice to meet you?" she squeaked, unsure of herself or the men that had descended upon her.
"Fabulous to meet you!" Both Bankotsu and Jakotsu wrapped an arm around her and started to usher her toward the back door of the club. "We are all going out, and you are invited!"
"What about me?" Miroku asked as he trailed behind them.
"If you insist," Jakotsu huffed dramatically, though they all knew that it was in jest.
In the rush of the moment, Kagome let herself be dragged out of the club and into a waiting SUV.
----------
"And then I told him, I don't even like peanut butter!"
Kagome wasn't quite sure what the joke was, but apparently it was pretty damn funny since the entire table had erupted in laughter.
From the club where the show was, they were escorted to the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo and into one of their penthouse suites. There weren't many people smashed into the suite, thank goodness. There was a generous amount of food set out in the in suite kitchen ('We help ourselves here,' was what Jakotsu told her), a vast selection of drinks out on one of the tables ranging from alcoholic to water, and a small lowly lit sitting area out on the balcony. Miroku was off talking to another pretty girl, so Kagome helped herself to a bottle of water and a small handful of chips before she made herself comfortable out on the balcony.
"Men are such jerks."
She looked up in surprise to see Jakotsu next to her. "Yeah, they are," she replied, shooting a glance at Miroku and the leggy brunette, who looked uncannily like Sango, that held his attention.
"Why are you even here with him?" Jakotsu reached over and snatched one of her chips. "I can tell that partying with rock stars isn't something that you normally do, honey."
"Would I sound like a fangirl if I told you I genuinely wanted to see your show?"
"You would only sound like a fangirl if you squealed and threw your panties at me," he said with a grin. "You aren't going to do that, are you? You strike me as a commando girl anyway."
Kagome nearly choked on her water. "I wear panties, thank you very much."
"What a coincidence!" Jakotsu clapped his hands. "So do I!"
The both of them laughed, though somewhere deep down Kagome cringed at the thought of the man wearing a tiny pair of Hello Kitty panties like the ones she was wearing at the moment.
"So, are you another groupie?" he asked her, eyeing her almost suspiciously. Kagome wasn't sure how to take that, especially since a moment before they seemed to be getting on like old friends.
"Another groupie?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Hot Asphalt is, well, hot."
Kagome laughed and shook her head. "You have it all wrong," she assured him. "Inuyasha is my roomie. Miroku said that he would make a decent date and told me he had tickets to tonight's show. I like your band, so I decided to come."
Jakotsu's eyes hazed over. "Inuyasha is such a dream boat."
"Wait until you see him first thing in the morning without his coffee."
"If I see him first thing in the morning, he's not going to be morning grumpy after I get done with him the night before." He smiled a naughty grin and raised an eyebrow at Kagome. "Have you offered him any good nights?"
Kagome snorted. "I wish," she muttered. "He has always been too wrapped up with Kikyo, though there was one night, we got so drunk...." She closed her eyes and grinned like the cat that got the canary.
Jakotsu leaned toward her, almost beaming with excitement. "Go on, go on!"
Then Kagome snapped her eyes open and looked at him. "Got'cha."
"You are so mean!" he said right before he pouted, then flopped back in the lounge chair.
----------
"I'm sorry," Miroku said, for the billionth time. "I just can't help myself!"
"Do you always abandon your dates if something better comes along?" Kagome snapped. Kouga and Naraku had been bad dates, yes, but this was the worst. She spent the entire time out on the balcony with Jakotsu, and then Bankotsu after he joined them. Bank, as he asked her to call him, even gave her his number.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked, with a tone that sounded almost like pleading.
Kagome straightened in the seat of the car and crossed her arms. "You can take me home and we will never speak of this night again."
"So you don't want to go back to my place and have sex?"
"No!!" She reached over and slapped him. "What the hell makes you think I want to have sex with you after that?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Pity?"
"Pity? Hah!" She turned away from him and looked at the passing buildings. "I don't see why Sango likes you so much?" she mumbled.
"What?"
She looked back over at him. "Sango. She likes you. I don't see why. You are a pervert who abandons their dates."
"She likes me?" he said, almost dreamily. "I never thought I'd see the day..."
"I didn't either."
He pulled up to her building and put the car in park. "Do you want me to come up?" he asked.
"For what? Coffee? Drinks?" She was beginning to wonder if going out with him was the right thing to do, though the night wasn't all bad. She did make a few new friends.
"Thank you sex, of course," he replied brightly. "After all, you are going to be the one who got my relationship with Sango rolling!"
"No!" She slapped him one last time for good measure, then got out of the car.
Just like Jakotsu had said earlier, men were such jerks.
-------
Kagome could hear the water in the bathroom running. Maybe Inuyasha wasn't too angry with her for going out with Miroku.
She kicked off her shoes at the door and headed toward the bathroom, then walked in without knocking.
"How did it go?" Inuyasha asked, from behind the shower curtain.
"Awful," she replied, almost sulkily. "He asked me if I wanted to go to his place and have sex."
Inuyasha laughed. "That's exactly what I was warning you about." The water cut and he reached out of the curtain. "Towel, please?" He gripped the towel Kagome handed to him and pulled it into the tub. A moment later he came out still dripping, but decent with the towel wrapped around his hips. "Did you get my t-shirt?"
"Nope," she announced. "But I got something better."
Inuyasha raised a single black eyebrow in question, his violet eyes glittering in anticipation.
Kagome reached into her purse and withdrew a slip of paper. "Bankotsu's phone number."
At that, Inuyasha stormed out of the bathroom.
"He sounds like a jealous husband." Jakotsu took a drag off of his cigarette and then waved his hand around dramatically. "Jealous husband."
Kagome leaned onto the table and put her head in her hands. When she asked Jakotsu out for lunch and a day shopping she didn't expect things to turn to Inuyasha. She slipped that he was being a jerk at breakfast, and Jakotsu went on defensive mode, calling all men trash.
"If he is so damn protective, he should just bite the bullet and marry you." He smashed the cigarette in the ash tray. "You know, you should come with me to Bank's for dinner tonight. Get your mind off of that douche bag."
"I should," Kagome mumbled, "but who will make Inuyasha dinner?"
Jakotsu raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Inuyasha, of course. He's not a baby, you know."
Inuyasha had been acting so strange lately she wasn't sure if she wanted to go out again. She totally understood that his breakup with Kikyo had hit him hard in a way, and he had slept in her bed nearly every night since. She just didn't want him to become completely dependent on her like he was in college. Well, not completely. He just liked that she could cook, she didn't screw up his laundry like he did, and she was darn good company. He didn't fail to remind her of that fact on a regular basis.
"I think I want to spend the evening with Inuyasha, Jak," she replied, quite honestly. After all of the dates she had been on, she and Inuyasha hadn't really spent much time together other than at dinner. She hadn't even gone to band practice in a few days. "We can do dinner tomorrow or something."
"Honey, how is he going to act when you get married?" He put on his 'matter of fact' face and cocked his head a bit. "With you dating, you are sure to meet Mr. Right somewhere along the line. You are going to get married and have kids. Where does Inuyasha fit into all of that?"
She hadn't really thought about it. If she did find her Mr. Right, and they had the kids she wanted, then where did Inuyasha fit in? The crazy 'uncle' that lived in the basement? Yeah. Her husband would be thrilled to have her college roomie living in their basement because he had separation anxiety. That wouldn't really work if they had an apartment. No matter how she ran the scenario through her mind, all things pointed to Inuyasha not being around. "He doesn't," she said, softly.
"Exactly." Jakotsu leaned back in his chair, his attention moving from Kagome to the people passing on the sidewalk next to the cafe where they were dining. "I'll excuse you tonight, but you are coming over tomorrow, missy." He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that said 'or I will drag you kicking and screaming'.
"Tomorrow," she agreed.
"Ok, but before then we have to go shopping. I saw an adorable dress in Dior yesterday that I think...."
----------
Six hours later Kagome entered the apartment, arms full of shopping bags.
"Max out your cards?" Inuyasha asked, from the couch.
Kagome shook her head and walked over to him, dropping the bags next to him. "Jak decided to spoil me. He said it's been a long time since he's had a girlfriend to spoil."
Inuyasha's face turned red. "You haven't known him for a week and you are already calling him your boyfriend!"
"No, no, no!" Kagome clarified, with a laugh. "Jak is gay, so he'd technically be like a girlfriend. Kinda like Sango."
He seemed to calm down, but his face still held that unnatural red color. "Well, what all did he get you?"
"Just a few things." She filtered through the bags and began to pull out different items; a few dresses, a pair of shoes to match one of the dresses, and a sweater set. "He insisted that I join him and Bank for dinner tomorrow night, so he got me a dress." She held up a little black cocktail dress, then showed him the matching strappy sandals. "Apparently Bank likes his dinners to be black tie affairs."
Inuyasha looked at the dress and gave a nod of approval. "What's the red one for?"
"Whenever I feel like dressing up." She held it up to her. "What'cha think?"
He raised an eyebrow. "A little sexy, don't you think?"
"That's the point, silly!" She carefully folded the dresses back up and returned them to the bags. "We still on for move night?"
"Movie is already in the DVD player," he replied, still looking a bit angry.
After putting away her clothes, Kagome came back out into the living room to find Inuyasha on the couch, bowl of popcorn ready. "I just wonder," she said, sitting next to him. "I wonder what is wrong with me."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't find a decent boyfriend. What the hell is wrong with me?" She ran a hand through her hair. "I have tons of male friends, most of them are idiots and not date worthy. What is wrong with me?"
He laughed. "Thanks, now I know how you feel about me," he said sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant and you know it," she shot back. "There is obviously something wrong with me."
He grabbed her hand. "There isn't a damn thing wrong with you. I, of all people, should know that. I see you first thing in the morning when you still have dragon breath."
"You know just what to say to charm a girl."
"Well, it's the truth," he said. "You have a steady job, you have a sensible taste in fashion that isn't overly conservative or overly sexy, you cook like my mom, and you have a good sense of humor. What else would a man want in a girl?"
"Someone who is hot with big boobs?" She gestured down to her own chest.
He snorted. "You wear a B cup. That is enough for most men."
"How the hell do you know what size bra I wear?"
"I've done your laundry. The care instructions just happen to be on the tag." He raised an eyebrow, his own way of saying 'challenge that'.
"You read care instructions?"
"Just because I haven't mastered the proper use of bleach doesn't mean I don't at least see how I'm supposed to care for the damn clothing."
"Let's just watch the movie." She resolved that she would be calling Bank first thing in the morning. If she had all of those qualities Inuyasha talked about, she didn't think she would have a problem. If only the rest of the world could start seeing some of these things. TBC