Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Title- Pleasantries
Summary- I went for a ride to cool off after finding out that my boyfriend had been cheating on me. Releasing all my responsibilities, I acted on spontaneity. Suddenly, small talk with a complete stranger didn't sound so audacious. InuKag. OneShot. Kagome's POV.
Author's Notes- This is just a little one shot I came up with in a feeble attempt to get my muse to come back. Now, with traces of Zebra Cake getting all over the keyboard, I'm going to try to write decently for the first time in a while…
As I usually do, I'm putting a teeny twist on Kagome's personality. I'm placing her into this situation and making her more courageous. The writing pretty much sucks throughout, but it gets slightly better as the story goes on… which was the whole point of it in the first place.
xXx
I took a deep breath as I stepped out of my house. The cool night air filled my lungs and made goosebumps rise on my legs. My work uniform didn't offer much to fend off the chill, but I wouldn't be outside for long.
I briskly walked to the small car parked to the side of the house and began rummaging through my purse. No sooner had I reached the car that I figured out that I didn't have the keys. With a frustrated sigh, I turned to go back into the large shrine that was my house.
A nervous feeling crept its way into my spine and I couldn't shake it. You know that feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen…?
The telephone was ringing off the hook when I opened the mahogany door and just as I started reaching for it, Houjo answered in the other room. I didn't think much of it and went to the other side of the hall where my keys were waiting for me. I could hear Houjo talking to someone on the line:
"Yeah? Oh, don't worry, she's gone." He paused as they spoke, obviously.
'She's gone?' What could he have meant by that? That I'm gone? Who would care? Maybe it's Sango, asking for me… No, Sango knows when I work, and he wouldn't tell her to "not worry".
"You did? Good, good… What's the – uh… verdict?" He spoke quietly, almost like he knew I was listening… or he was just really nervous about something.
A soft- because I was far away- but high-pitched, incoherent-from-my-end squeal sounded on the phone and Houjo gave a chuckle.
"What, babe? I couldn't understand you, you were screaming too loud… You're not? That's fantastic!" The scream thumped out of the receiver again. "Yes, I know! That's great news! Alright, we'll celebrate. I'll see you in a minute."
With that, he hung up the phone and mumbled, "Yes!" like an elementary school kid. Curiosity overwhelmed me at this point. What on Earth could he be so happy about? And whoever was on the phone, why did he call them babe?
There wasn't any noise from Houjo I could hear besides him scuffling about upstairs to get his shoes and things. It wasn't until he started down the stairs, riding the banister like a ten-year-old, that I got absolutely fucking furious.
"Yes-Yes-YES! She's not pregnant! A-ha, yeah!" He cheered and spun around in circles down the hall. Somehow, he's managed to not notice me standing at the end of the hallway with my hands on my hips. My face was probably as red as the skinny tie of my uniform, and tears were brimming my eyes in my being both upset and absolutely enraged. One of my hands was squeezing the set of keys so hard the double-toothed car key broke the skin in my palm.
When Houjo finally realized that I was standing at the end of the hallway he stopped his celebrations instantly. All he could do was stare at me, completely dumbfounded. He swallowed hard at my deathly glares and put on a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Hey, Kagome… What are you doing home?" He laughed uneasily as he spoke. It was a clear and clichéd way to prove his guilt.
My glare never lifted, and all I could think as I saw him was: 'Burst into flames. Burst into flames. Burst into flames!'
Flames burst into my eyes at his trying-to-be-innocent face. He made me completely sick to my stomach, and I could just lunge out and strangle him where he stood. There were some laws that prohibited me from doing that though… and besides, I'm not going to end up on cops tonight!
"I forgot my keys." I spoke so calmly it even scared me. It obviously did him because he took a step back. "So Houjo… tell me…" He gulped before I continued, "How can you be hopping around so merrily saying 'She's not pregnant!' when you and I… we've never slept together." I raised an inquiring brow and watched him condense into himself.
Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and he knew that he was dead. Stone dead. "Well, uh… you see Kags, it's… it's…"
I raised my hand in front of him to stop his ridiculous rambling. "Don't even bother, I understand." Again my own voice shocked me, but this time it was sugarcoated honey. "What do you say… when I get home from work…" I slowly walked towards him and got in his face. "… You be the fuck out of my house."
With my statement made I stormed out the door and threw open the driver's side door. Plopping into the seat, I put the keys in the ignition and left them hanging there. I was too upset to drive. It all finally hit me while I was sitting there.
My shoulders slumped and a few stray tears trickled down my cheeks. The inferno that I like to call my rage hadn't completely subsided yet, but the depression part started sinking in… and I had an impeccable urge to regurgitate the meal that bastard had recently made me.
Before I could think about it twice I leapt out of my car and ran to the side of the driveway. When I stopped at the edge of the asphalt my ribcage heaved. My throat burned of acid as I retched over the grass, but to have it done was relieving. Not a very graceful moment on my part, but something I just felt like doing.
I stood and glanced back at the house, every light was on, and every so often I would catch a shadow moving by a window hurriedly. My lips curled in disgust and my eyes narrowed a bit. Popping a piece of gum, I returned to my car and cranked the engine. I violently threw the auto into gear and firmly stamped the accelerator, skidding off into the artificial twilight of Tokyo.
Lucky for me I hadn't run into any red lights or traffic jams yet. It wouldn't have mattered anyhow. With the way I'm feeling I'd plow right into the next driver's bumper in sheer fury.
How could that bastard do something like this to me? I let him live in my house… rent-free! We've been going out for months now, and this is how he treats me. Sorry piece…
Several people dotted the sidewalks downtown. Not surprising, but as I approached the restaurant where I worked I could see a cloud of people clogging the entrance. Dread built up in my mind. I really didn't want to deal with the Friday Night Rush right now. About three of my co-workers were doing crowd control. I could tell by the black miniskirt, black short-sleeved blouse, and red ties.
Crowd control only meant one thing: Hellish, bottom of the damn barrel work… with no bonus pay.
Instantly, I decided to tell anyone who asked that I was sick. I had a good reason for the people I trusted enough to tell the real story to!
I flipped open my cellphone and dialed my place of employment. Mr. Boss-Man answered in a hectic voice, and chaos ensued behind the speaker. My voice turned raspy and a few coughs found themselves out too as I explained why I couldn't work tonight. Although disappointed, Mr. Boss-Man accepted my excuse and I was off. An accomplished grin spread over my face and I quickly but inconspicuously sped by the restaurant.
Ah, to have a responsibility lifted… It's a great feeling.
I continued to cruise around town for a while; just to burn off steam, and it occurred to me that technically, I hadn't eaten dinner yet. So by all means I was going to have something! Kami knows that I won't be keeping the dinner Houjo fed me. There could be poison in it or something.
Being the low-maintenance girl that I am, I pulled into the closest WacDonalds, and sauntered to the door; purse in hand, and my job's nametag missing from my blouse.
The cashiers at this place have always been so friendly! After exchanging a smile, I ordered a large fry and a milkshake, paid, and scanned the seating arrangements.
Some small tables were scattered across the colourful carpet, along with a few booths for really large groups. Just like any inside to a fast-food restaurant. Smaller booths were lined up along the walls and windows.
There was an empty two-person booth by the window, and I briskly strode towards it. Right before I reached my chair I noticed the person sitting in front of it glancing at me from his burger. A small smile played across my face when I noticed this.
When I was going out with Houjo, I felt restrained. But now that I've broken free of him, I've noticed a lot of attention that I get that I didn't notice before. It's funny how a little incident can make you notice so much…
And this 'Burger Guy' wasn't half bad either…
Long silver locks cascaded well past his shoulders along his spine, and bright golden eyes peered out from behind his bangs. He was clad in a red shirt poking out from behind a black jacket and dark blue jeans. A little casual compared to me but remember, I was supposed to go to work today!
I nonchalantly walked by and sat down in my own booth, our backs facing each other. I could hear him shift uneasily in his plastic yellow bucket seat and I had to suppress a giggle. After a french fry or two he coughed and began to fidget again, now I did let out a snicker.
It would take him a few sips of my milkshake before a rough voice caught my attention. "What's so funny?"
Well his voice wasn't exactly 'rough'. It kind of got higher-pitched as the question went on… probably trying to not sound like a thug or something. I shook my head and took a bite of a fry. "Nothing, nothing…"
He huffed slightly and started tapping his foot. Needless to say, this was a bit aggravating.
I didn't even look up from my milkshake, "Waiting for someone?" This came out sounding like more of a pickup line than I would've liked.
He 'humph'-ed, "No. What business is it of yours?"
"Sheesh, I was just making small talk." I got on the defensive, sipping on the shake.
I could feel him move and turn towards me through the chair. "Well, you're coming across as nosy."
A shrug pulled on my shoulders. "Sorry, just wanted to talk to someone."
"Well, why'd you choose me?" He argued, turning away slightly.
"No reason." I answered in a high voice. Setting down my shake, I turned to face him and stuck out my hand. "Hi, I'm Kagome."
He gave me a kind of apprehensive look before taking my hand in the pleasantries ritual. "Inuyasha." We shook on it before easing back into our seats, still facing each other in our peripheral vision. I sighed lightly and kept munching on my french fries.
This uncomfortable silence was killing me. I started to swing my leg on the seat and softly scuff my low-top sneaker on the glossy floor. Inuyasha seemed to get a bit uneasy too, and he'd rather make small talk than listen to a rubber sole. "A little formal for a WacDonalds, aren't you?"
I glanced down at my work uniform and nodded. "Yeah, well…" My eyes moved to the ceiling and I was sporting a grin, "What business is it of yours?"
He gave a fake chuckle. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want you, I don't really care. I would just rather not listen to you beat your foot on the floor."
His head turned to glance at me when I laughed at him. "Just messing with you, sheesh… It's my work uniform. I decided to call in sick today."
"And you're in public?" The look on his face screamed 'You're an idiot'.
"Well I can't go home." I sounded like a high school girl. Like it was so obvious that he knew my situation, I could say it in a 'Duh' fashion.
Inuyasha was sporting a curious look when I thought of that. "And…? Why not?"
A snarl marred my face and I glared at the opposite wall. "Stupid, fucking Houjo. That horny lying bastard."
He seemed shocked at my sudden outburst of profanity, but was so wrapped up in my case he left his table and sat down across from me. Now who's being nosy?
A bit of caution lined his mood, but he kept firing his inquiries at me. "… Boyfriend?"
I gave a sharp laugh, "Not any-fucking-more." He smirked at my answer. "I just have to wait for him to get his shit out of my house. Can you believe that twat was actually sweating getting another girl pregnant while he was still going with me!" My milkshake cup hit the table with a clap and Inuyasha gaped at me. I just shook my head and chuckled in spite of everything. "So what about you? What brings you here on a Friday night?"
He crossed his arms over his chest nonchalantly and sported a small smirk. "Hell, I had nothing better to do."
"Well, now you make me feel great. I've got problems to hell and back and you've got 'Nothing better to do'." I tossed a fry or two at his head. "You lucky arse."
A fry got tangled in his hair and he laughed a bit. "It's not like I've never had problems, ya know." My face begged him to elaborate, and he pulled the fry out before going on. "Well, never cheated on… but something like it."
"Something like it…?" I blinked. "What do you mean?"
He simply brushed my question off and looked out the window. "It's not important."
A frustrated sigh came from my throat and I leaned forward with my elbows resting on the table. "Aw, now come on! I open up to you about my night and you say it's not important!" He nodded smartly at me. "Inuyasha…" I sprinkled all the sugar I had in my voice and put on the perkiest face I could manage. "… Please?"
Strangely, I noted the light discolouration on his cheeks before he caved in. "Damn, alright… My last girlfriend didn't cheat on me… She was going into some kind of profession I can't remember... She had to go to a lot of these formal meetings and a lot of boring shit I slept though."
I nodded, trying to get every little detail he actually told me.
"Apparently, having arm candy is highly suggested in the business and when she landed the job, I never saw her again." He looked out the large window again at the city. I feel kind of bad, making him explain it to me.
You couldn't tell it in his voice but he seemed to be- or used to be- really broken up by it. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry…"
He shrugged and tried to reflect the attention away from him. "It's not your problem. And besides, you have your own shitty love-life to vouch for."
"Gee thanks…" I poked at my fries, unsure about how to continue. "But you're right… looks like we've both gotten the fuzzy end of the lollipop before." Silence ensued, and it was anything but comfortable. The dark atmosphere was starting to get to me, and it would be winter in Hades before I let Houjo's sorry arse make me feel depressed. "Hey, you said you had nothing better to do tonight right?"
Inuyasha glanced up at me with a curious look. "Yeah…?"
A grin sprouted on my face and I leaped from my chair and grabbed his arm. "Come on. I didn't storm out of my own house to feel all emotional. Let's go do something exciting."
He gave me a critical glance, "Like what?"
"Be optimistic for once." I told him before I yanked him out the door. "It's a big-ass city, there's always something to do in Tokyo."
"Well, sure but what are we going to do?" He gazed up at the skyscrapers when we reached my car, and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.
I sighed. "I actually don't know… any suggestions would be nice, you know."
He stayed silent for a while, just staring around the skyline.
A thought suddenly hit me and I heard myself hum in contentment. "You know what we should do…"
Bringing his head down, he quirked an eyebrow. "Hmn?"
"Never mind…" I shook my head. It was too crazy… I guess… "Are you a, say, violent person?"
"I like to get my knuckles bloody every now and then, why?" He answered me almost immediately, which made my idea all the better.
A smile peeled my lips back, "Then it's perfect!" I hopped into my car without even telling him what we were doing.
He looked around and ran to the passenger's side, a confused look upon his features. "Wait, where are we going?"
A giddy feeling tugged on my heart as I beckoned Inuyasha to sit down. The engine roared to life when I turned the ignition and I drove off as quickly as I came. "Let's kick Houjo out of my house."
He laughed and nodded almost excitedly. "Okay then. Is he an asshole?"
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "He cheated on me and danced around the house cheering 'She's not pregnant!' when he thought I wasn't home… what do you think?"
"Fine, he is an asshole. That's all you had to say."
A smile pulled back my lips, "I know, I just wanted to tell you that fact."
We arrived at the shrine house about as soon as I could blink. Houjo's car was still parked in the carport, but the trunk was hanging open and several bags filled it. I slammed my car door especially loud to alert the bastard that I was there. A tiny echo of something heavy hitting the floor leaped from the house and a guilty-looking Houjo emerged at the doorway.
"K- Kagome! I thought you were –uh working tonight!" He scratched the back of his head nervously and took a second glance at Inuyasha, who was standing behind me. Even though I couldn't see what he was doing, I bet it was silent threats and taunts.
It's weird to think that I only met Inuyasha about twenty minutes ago in a WacDonalds downtown. And here we are to haggle my cheating ex-boyfriend like he was my best guy friend that I've known since high school.
I scoffed and crossed my arms in a bitchy manner, "I called in sick, but really I'm not the fucking sick one am I, Houjo?"
The arse coughed but tried to cover up his sheer terror of me because Inuyasha was a witness. "I dunno Kags… A- Are you?"
My eyes rolled and I kicked him with the sole of my shoe in the abdomen, shoving him back into the house. "Stop your babbling and get your stuff out of my damn house already."
Houjo seemed to get offended at my shoving him and acted like he had a pair. "Don't push me… bitch. I'll get my stuff at my own pace."
I clenched a fist and opened my mouth to retort, but surprisingly, Inuyasha beat me to it. He got right into Houjo's face and glared angrily at him.
"You're a fucking disgrace, you know that? Don't call her a bitch because she's pissed at you. You should be fucking happy that I'm not ripping your throat out right now." Inuyasha's voice was low and threatening, like a demons, and my face contorted from my trying not to smile.
I was absolutely shocked at how Inuyasha defended me. I didn't think we'd grown that close over small talk and milkshakes… but then again, if I met his ex-girlfriend I'd beat the shit out of her too.
Houjo looked frightened out of his mind. Inuyasha had a dark smirk on his face and his eyes were narrowed at assassin's standard, but Houjo's voice remained flat and sarcastic. "What's this Kagome? Were you cheating on me with this guy? You were always really conservative, so I guess you got your sexual urges out at his place!"
Inuyasha's brow furrowed as he grabbed Houjo's shirt and pushed him against the wall. His smirk turned into somewhat of a creepy grin, and there was no sarcasm in his voice. "Yeah, you've figured it out, genius. And you wish you'd got a taste of it." Inuyasha kept his features completely serious, even at Houjo's appalled ones.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Houjo gaped at him with his mouth ajar.
"Yep, she acts conservative around you but she can put on quite a show if you do everything right." I had to force myself to not burst out laughing on that note. "Of course, you wouldn't know that because when you had the chance to find out you were too busy screwing around with another girl! You're fucking sick, and you need help. Some sort of medication to keep it in your goddamned pants, you letch."
With his magnificent ranting complete, he dropped Houjo to the ground and stood back. His fists were still clenched and he remained in a threatening stance. Houjo shakily got to his feet and glanced from me to Inuyasha and over again. He made his spine ramrod straight to appear courageous and walked stiffly out the door. "I've packed all my things anyway. I was taking your stuff."
I was this close to running out the door and shoving countless items up his tailpipe, but Inuyasha stopped me. He tapped my shoulder and shook his head, a huge smirk filling his face. Before I knew it, I couldn't breathe- I was laughing so hard.
"Did you see his face!?!" I managed to say between breaths and fits of laughter.
Inuyasha was rolling as well, "You didn't… tell me he was… such a fucking idiot."
I swiped a tear from my eye and leaned against the wall next to Inuyasha for support. "Aha... I'm sorry… Actually, even I didn't think he was that stupid."
There was a moment of silence between us, we weren't even laughing anymore. Suddenly what had just happened seemed to hit us all over again and we were crying of laughter again. When we actually calmed down for good, we were leaning against the wall of the hallway, sitting on the carpet.
I looked around my empty house from my spot on the floor and sighed in contentment. I don't know why but Inuyasha's become a pretty good friend to me; even if I met him only a half-hour ago by now.
"It'll be strange… having the house empty again." I mused like an old woman whose kids just moved out.
Inuyasha tilted his head towards me. "Just you two lived here?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "But now that I've kicked Houjo out, I can invite Sango to live with me. She needs to get out of that crappy apartment she's in."
"Does she work with you?" He started looking around from his spot as well, just being curious.
"No, she's on a date tonight… some guy that wouldn't leave her alone, she says." I mused.
Inuyasha just hummed as a response, "Huh, Miroku told me he had a date tonight too… He said she was 'The most beautiful girl he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing.' Or something twisted-dreamy like that. However he talks…"
My hand went to my face to hide a giggle. "Sounds like a character to me."
He laughed once, "He's like that all the time, and to make it worse he's a pervert."
I quirked a brow at him, "Like how…? Peeping… stalking… touching? What?"
"Pretty much the whole package." Inuyasha mused.
"Hmn…" A thought struck me, but I quickly shook it off. It was just too coincidental! "No… never…"
He looked at me with a 'What-the-heck-are-you-rambling-about' look. "No never what…?"
I laughed a bit. "Oh, nothing I just had a thought that maybe… Sango and Miroku were out… together."
Inuyasha snorted and looked at the wall across from us. "That'd be fucking insane. The fates aren't that predictable."
"I realize that… that's why I said 'No, never'." While I was saying this, I felt my cell-phone vibrate in my purse and the familiar polyphonic tone rang out. I reached for my purse and started rummaging through all the endless crap it contained, trying to find my cell. The front screen was lit up brightly and the pixels spelt out "1 New Message!". "Hmn, I have a text… Maybe it's from Sango…" I mumbled to no one in particular.
Inuyasha didn't seem to be paying attention, he just wandered off somewhere in his mind. That wasn't like him… well, from what I know anyway.
I flipped open the phone and opened my message. I was right: it was from Sango.
'I can't believe I went out with that PERVERT! You'll never guess what he did to me! Copped a feel… on the first date! For the love of tight pants, he better be grateful he's still alive!'
Sadly, I found myself laughing hysterically at Sango's situation. Her disposition was just too funny for me. I left an ass, met a decent guy downtown, and my best friend had a frightening experience all in one night! Inuyasha gave me another 'w-t-f?' look and leaned over my shoulder to see what my problem was.
'I attached a picture to the message. It's the pervert. Whatever you do, steer clear of this guy!'
I opened the attachment and a picture started to load on my screen. The top of his black hair showed up first… then his deep blue eyes… and at last the crooked grin along with a very distinguished hand print adorning his cheek. I cringed at that. It was going to be a pretty nasty bruise. Somehow I failed to notice Inuyasha becoming more and more tense as the picture loaded.
Now it was his turn to laugh hysterically and my turn to give a 'w-t-f?' look. He grabbed his abdomen in laughter and I'm still standing in the dark with a baffled look on my features.
"Maybe…" He managed between breaths and heaves of amusement. "The fates… are that predictable." He couldn't say anything else- he was laughing too hard.
Bewilderment still hovered over me as I pushed Inuyasha over on his side. "What are you talking about! Tell me!"
He seemed to calm down and picked himself up, pointing at the picture Sango sent me. "That! That's Miroku!"
My mouth went ajar at that. There's just no way. "You're not serious…"
Inuyasha nodded and looked down at his jacket pocket. He whipped out his own cell-phone and opened a message. I leaned over his shoulder to see what it was about, like he did to me.
'I've met my soul mate, my friend… and she's incredible! Soft and delicate but fiery inside! She's got the body of a supermodel, and the wit of a professor!'
Inuyasha just scrolled down through the rest of message that carries on like that; too fast for me to read… not like I wanted to hear anymore of it.
'She got a bit angry with me, and is walking away! I have to explain, I won't let her go!'
I reeled back and gaped at Inuyasha. "You didn't tell me he was actually a stalker!"
Inuyasha shrugged, "He's not… just really… dramatic. I'd swear he's gay but there's the whole pervert thing."
I was going to respond but my phone went off again. Now I was reading Sango's message while Inuyasha was lazily hitting his cell keys.
'Kagome! That creep is following me! I'm gonna come to your house, okay? We're close enough! And plus, you can be pretty scary when you're angry!'
I giggled a bit at the thought of Houjo being frightened by me, and what Sango was doing made sense. If Miroku was following her and they're coming here…
Quickly getting to my feet, I walked into the next room and peered out the window. Inuyasha curiously followed me and looked out of the next glass pane.
"What're we looking for?" He whispered with fog appearing on the crystal. I guess he whispered because of the incognito feel the dark room gave it.
A mischievous grin peeled my lips back, "Sango… and Miroku."
He switched his gaze from outside to me. "They're coming here? How?"
"Sango's coming here because she's mad at Miroku… and he's following her." I elaborated.
"Oh…" He mumbled and looked back to the window. "Hey, I think I seem them."
My heart pounded with anticipation and giddiness. "Yep! I have to scare Sango… Hang on." A quick sprint to the main hallway let me switch off the lights, and now the whole house was dark. I could barely see anything because my eyes hadn't adjusted yet.
Next think I knew, an arm was wrapped at my waist, pulling me back into the other room; and before I could gasp Inuyasha's hand was clamped over my mouth.
"That's not how you freak someone out." He quickly whispered, and dragged me behind the couch that was so conveniently located in the center of the room. Two side tables fell at either side of the couch so we could easily watch the spectacle about to enter my front door. Sango wouldn't know that I was home, but she'd think that Houjo is. Well, she's got one hell of a surprise waiting for her, doesn't she!
Inuyasha removed his hand from my face and shushed me. I nodded eagerly and peeked over the couch when I heard the doorknob jingle. Sango's thunderous footfall entered the house, along with what I presumed to be Miroku's unfading pleas.
"Please, Sango dearest, don't be rash!" He wailed. But Sango scoffed and tried to shut the door, but I never heard the door click into place.
"Will you just leave me alone!" She screamed. He just wouldn't take no for an answer… "Houjo! Are you home?" Sango called out. Psh, Houjo would never be in my house again. "Ugh. Common!"
Miroku finally entered completely I guess and shut the door behind him. "Sango, please, sit. We must talk."
Sango laughed a 'You've-got-to-be-kidding' laugh and stomped further into my abode. I could see a few sequins from her cocktail-length dress shining in the dim light of the place. "You're lucky I let you live after touching me like that, you letch!"
Now Miroku came into view in the doorway into the room Inuyasha and I were staking out in. "You have to understand, Sango. My hand…" He held up one of his hands for emphasis, "… it's cursed."
She scoffed and moved back towards the door again so I couldn't see her that well. I repositioned myself on Inuyasha's side of the couch, not comfortably or well balanced for that matter, and tried to decipher what was going on. "How convenient that it's cursed…"
Miroku lifted an almost condescending finger. "Ah, but not just cursed. Possessed by a demon!"
I faintly heard Inuyasha snort and mumble: "You're possessed by something but it ain't a demon…"
I stifled a giggle with the palm of my hand and Sango started talking again. Of course, I didn't catch what she was saying because I had lost my balance trying to cover up a laugh. My hands went hurriedly downward to catch the rest of my weight before it went crashing on Inuyasha. The result was… a bit different than I planned it.
We ended up in a strange arrangement where my hands were supporting me on either side of his head, and the part of me that did go crashing down forced him into a face-up position. I didn't notice it at the time, but the way I maneuvered one of my legs to catch myself made it look as if I were straddling him. Now really wish I would've caught that but neither of us did anyway.
I actually didn't think anything of it. Even Inuyasha's shocked expression didn't phase my energy of eavesdropping on Sango. I twisted my head around to keep an eye on the 'bickering couple', but Inuyasha was still giving me a surprised look when I turned away.
We apparently didn't make any noise because when my attention went back to Sango and Miroku they were still at it.
"Your hand is not possessed by a demon you lying lecher." Sango claimed while giving the boy a flat and unimpressed countenance.
Miroku blinked a few times, but his huge smile didn't budge. "Oh, but it is! I assure you, Sango. I will strive to keep this devilish hand under control for you!" He gave the classic, 'knight-in-shining-armor' gesture… but Sango still wasn't buying it.
Sango's response was fuzzy and blurred out by my feeling two hands grab my arms, just above the elbows. I looked back towards Inuyasha, whose face had changed from stunned to determined with a twinge of a dreamy aura. My jaw hung open in a state of astonishment. Pure gold pierced icy sapphire in an unconscious dream, and he set himself up, so we were both sitting.
I have no idea why, but I couldn't move. We hadn't known each other more than a few hours and already he's got that much control over me. Maybe the fates are a little more unpredictable than we thought. Doubt hung in his eyes and I stared at him sharper, if that was even possible. I could barely feel my neck creep forward a bit in anticipation.
Now that I think about it, he's been better to me in these past hours than Houjo ever was in the whole time we were dating.
Inuyasha seemed to take my hints that were so subtle I didn't know I gave them. Our faces slanted and lightly smashed together. It wasn't an open-mouth make-out kiss, but it wasn't a peck either. I just, don't know how to explain it. Well, for being so much less of a whore than Houjo was, Inuyasha was a much better kisser.
It was like Houjo didn't want to be there when we kissed. He was always somewhere different… But Inuyasha was right there. Especially when I needed him to back me up on the beating up Houjo part.
We both pulled away and I couldn't look him in the eyes again. Well I could, just not for anything longer than a glance and not as intently as before. The both of us held the same 'What-the-hell-just-happened' expression.
I was simply as a loss for words. What just happened was completely random, but its not like I didn't appreciate it!
"… Inuyasha…" All my other words turned to mush on my tongue, and he couldn't form a word at all. It wasn't until now that I realized that Sango and Miroku's incessant squabbling had indeed ceased, and the lights to the room we were in were indeed turned on…
"KAGOME!" Sango wailed as if I was cheating on her. Wow… that knocked me out of my stupor as I scrambled to get to my feet.
"WHAT?" I screamed back at her. She looked at me like I was translucent.
Her eyes darted from me to Inuyasha, who was dazedly getting back to his feet as well, and she held her hands out in front of her. "HOUJO?" Of course, she'd be expecting an explanation.
I turned my palms towards her and gave a small smile. "Well… It's a really long story… See, he was cheating on me and almost got another girl pregnant and I overhear-"
Sango's eyes widened to their extremities. "WHAT?"
I nodded. "Yes! And I was so mad that I told him to get out, stormed off and called in sick for work. Then I went to a WacDonalds downtown and we," I motioned towards Inuyasha, "just started talking and he came to help me kick Houjo out. Then you showed up and we were spying on you…"
Miroku sauntered in a circle around Inuyasha with a giant grin splattered onto his features. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was glaring death at Miroku.
"Well, that's a nice story but it still doesn't explain what we've just walked in on." Miroku's grin grew wider as Inuyasha's eyes narrowed into smaller slits.
I could feel my face heat up and I looked down… and Sango took definite note of that. She moved her bittersweet smiling head into my line of vision and spoke a very immature but productive: "Hmm??"
I bit my lip before my words fell to the floor at my feet. "Even if I could explain what happened, I won't."
Sango snorted, "What? Just because your guy friend here is glaring daggers at Miroku?"
Miroku chuckled and poked Inuyasha's arm. Inuyasha only growled at him. "Well, Inuyasha seems to be a bit agitated by all the interrogating."
I coughed and looked away, searching everywhere in the file cabinets of my mind for a damn good subject change. Finally it hit me:
"Hey, Sango. Now that Houjo's sorry arse is out you can move in. Get out of that apartment, ya know?" She tapped her chin in thought. "You've been talking about getting out of it for months now."
"You know, you're right, Kagome." We shook on it for no good reason. We were best friends, why wouldn't we keep a promise like that? "I'll talk to my landlord about it tomorrow."
I grinned at Sango, but mostly for the subject change, and glanced back at Inuyasha and Miroku. More like Inuyasha because Miroku was currently on the floor, nursing a head wound for haggling Inuyasha about the- ahem- incident.
Miserably for me, Sango didn't take to my little 'Subject-Adjustment' as well as I'd hoped… "So Kagome… I didn't know you were so audacious."
I quirked an inquisitive brow at her, "Hmn?"
"You know…" When I didn't answer she sighed in frustration. "It took you weeks to get comfortable enough with Houjo to let him kiss you…" My cheeks discoloured and I could feel my core temperature rising. "But with… Inuyasha," She paused to see if she'd gotten his name correctly. "With Inuyasha… It only took a few hours!"
I started fiddling with my bright red tie nervously. I really didn't want to explain something even I didn't understand… especially with the other half of the conversation standing right next to me! "Yeah, well… you see… I never felt comfortable with Houjo anyway… He always had that recluse-ness about him…"
My surprisingly truthful- but indirect- excuse appeared to suit Sango and she shrugged. "I guess. I never liked him much to begin with. He seemed like the slimy type to me…" I watched as Sango's face heated up in either embarrassment or anger and she whirled around to strike Miroku across the face. "You pervert! Stop touching me!" She screamed and continued to beat him.
Inuyasha and I looked at each other and shook our heads. They bicker like an old married couple already… Or more like an old married couple where the husband started taking Viagra without the Wife's consent.
I felt a yawn creep into my chest and raised my arms in the air to release the stress in my muscles. It's been one hell of a day I have to admit. The sound of Sango and Miroku yelling and pleading soon turned into white noise when I plopped down on the couch. My head rested on the back of the cushions and I felt a bored Inuyasha sit down beside me. I slowly lifted my head up to look at him. He glanced at me, then back to the other two, who I think were talking about chocolate… or mashed potatoes… Who really knows in my mind? Whatever it decides to warp their already twisted conversation into is beyond me.
I sighed tiredly again and placed my head halfway on Inuyasha's shoulder and halfway on the couch. He didn't seem to mind. Again I'm thinking about how short of a time we've known each other… and here we are acting like lovers. (Or at least lovesick high school teens)
With my eyes closed, I searched for his hand. When I had it in my grasp I mumbled dazedly: "Thank you."
I didn't really know what part of this escapade I was thanking him for… but he picked to take it anyway. His response was only a tightening grip on my hand.
The fates are crafty… very. You can't predict them no matter what you think will happen. I thought I was going to work today… nope. Houjo? My boyfriend?
Nope.
A complete stranger I met only a few hours ago? Feels like I've known him longer than Houjo… I guess you can just never underestimate…
… the power of small talk.
XxX
Author's Notes- Okay, well… that wasn't my best writing in the world. But I don't care the end's not half bad by my standards. I was a bit rushed in the beginning and more focused on what was going on rather than what Kagome was thinking and stuff… so it's not like anything I've written before.
This was just something I wanted to write and it was mostly to help me get my muse back so I could write on my other stories. I might write in an Epilogue if I need help again with my writing disabilities…
-Destiny