:I'm Sorry I Love You:

:Honesty is the best policy... when there's money in it. -Mark Twain:

π

The newspaper cover read "Scandal in Tokyo: Inuyasha Caught in the Act!". The young cashier glanced at it thoughtfully before scanning it, and then carefully placed it in the plastic bag with the pink sweater.

"¥5000," the cashier said sweetly. Her customer, a young woman with warm chocolate eyes smiled at her.

The woman held out five crisp bills and the cashier reached out to take them. Just as she was about to receive the money her customer quickly pulled her hand back.

"Ah," she sighed. "I really don't like to carry around large bills. I'm so worried about losing them! Would you mind if I gave you a ¥10,000 bill for the difference, and then you can give me three ¥5,000 bills?" She handed the confused cashier a ¥10,000 note.

"Um," the cashier scratched her head in confusion. Before she could make a decision, the woman next in line began complaining.

"What, you can't do math?" The older woman groaned, tapping her foot impatiently at the flustered worker. "Give her the three ¥5,000 notes already, people are waiting!" The young cashier nodded rapidly and handed the woman three ¥5,000 bills quickly.

"S-Sorry," the cashier said sheepishly. She tugged at her collar nervously.

"It's okay," she replied grabbing her bag. She smiled at the girl, and then walked out of the clothes store. The next woman began walking away as well.

"Maybe if you didn't take so long, I wouldn't be late," she hissed at the cashier. The woman left without making any purchases.

π

"Why do I always have to be the mean one?" Sango glared as her best friend counted the money, a smug smirk on her face.

"Because it was my idea," Kagome informed her. "I confuse the cashier and before she can figure out she's being ripped off you put the pressure on her and make her panic, and then..." She waved a ¥5000 note in front of Sango's face.

"And then she gives you back the ¥10,000 yen and the original ¥5000 yen and you walk away with the cute shirt. After that, you keep the shirt and the ¥5,000 and give your best friend ¥10,000!" Sango threw down her magazine and dove for the two ¥5,000 bills in Kagome's other hand. Her friend was too fast.

"Oh, but pink is definitely your color," Kagome teased, thrusting the shirt in her disgruntled friend's face. Sango snatched the shirt and accepted the ¥5,000 with a growl of dissatisfaction. Kagome always got the bigger cut, but then again, she was always the one with the plan.

Kagome and Sango had been friends since they were in elementary school. Sango had always been the tough, bold type, while Kagome was the witty, innovative one. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

"Go get changed," Kagome told her, nodding towards the diner's bathroom. Sango rolled her eyes and pulled away from the table, strutting towards the women's room. Kagome sighed and took another sip of her tea. Whenever they got new clothes, they changed into them immediately. They didn't bother with the old clothes. There was not point in keeping old clothes; they were just extra things to lug around.

They weren't by any means homeless. They weren't dirty or smelly and they wore name brand clothes and if they really wanted to, they could get jobs and have an apartment, but it just wasn't worth it. Kagome was never the type who could settle for a dull office job or a hard waitress position. She'd always wanted a home, but if it meant she couldn't have her freedom, she didn't want it.

So instead of a boring job and a pretty house, she settled for a life of wandering and petty crimes. Shortchanging, fake charities, and just straight up cons were how she and Sango made their money. They weren't really bad people; they just took as much as they needed. They were like Robin Hood, they took from the rich and gave to the needy, a.k.a, them. Okay, so they weren't exactly starving or impoverished.

"Awh!" Kagome cooed as Sango sat back down in her new shirt. Sango ignored her and stared out the window, a distant look in her eyes. Kagome turned her head to see what her friend was looking at.

"He's so gorgeous, isn't he?" Sango sighed. Kagome smirked. Across the street, workers were putting up a massive picture of Inuyasha, the famous movie star, on a building wall. Sango had, had a massive crush on him for as long as Kagome could remember. Kagome often worried about her friend's obsession with the actor, because as long as she pined over him, no guy was ever good enough for her.

"I bet that isn't even his real name," Kagome remarked.

"I'll bet that's the promo picture for his new movie, Lovers in Paradise."

"And nobody has eyes that. He definitely wears contacts."

"I heard, during the love scene, you actually see his butt! Can you imagine?"

"And that hair is a wig, no doubt."

"Oooh! He's amazing!"

"He's a total playboy."

"He's brilliant!"

"He's probably got the IQ of a guinea pig."

"Must you always criticize him?" Sango asked dramatically.

"Must you always glorify him? He's an actor. He's paid to read a script and look pretty," Kagome moaned. Sango folded her arms under her breast and pursed her lips. She couldn't stand it when anybody talked bad about Inuyasha. After a few moments of silence, Kagome sighed.

She hated it when her best friend got moody with her. Being that they were always together, they argued often, but always made up. Even Inuyasha couldn't come between them for more than a few minutes.

"Hey," she said, snapping her fingers in front of Sango's face. "I've got an idea..."

π

"Look, there's the box!" Sango whispered excitedly. Kagome smiled as she watched her friend's eyes light up. A block away from the colossal picture of Inuyasha, a couple of men were putting up promo posters. The posters were nearly the size of Kagome and on them was a huge picture of a half naked Inuyasha. Above him, in cursive writing were the words "Lovers in Paradise, Premieres December 26th." Beside the men, on the sidewalk was a big box full of rolled posters.

Okay, so Kagome didn't exactly have an idea per se, nor was she sure where Sango was going to put a giant picture of Inuyasha, but she was determined to get it. She winked at Sango, and then dashed down the busy, city sidewalk.

As she approached the box of posters, the workers eyed her warily. By now, she was used to improvising. Conning came naturally to her, not that, that was a good thing. She gave the workers a sugary smile, which the men ignored.

Well excuse me for not have huge boobs and model's legs. Kagome remembered how envious she was of Sango when she was younger. Growing up, Sango only had eyes for her favorite movie star, and other than that, she was a complete tomboy. Kagome was the feminine one, and yet Sango had long, pretty legs and was extremely well endowed, while, Kagome was shorter and flat-chested.

'Focus...' Kagome told herself. 'How are you going to get the picture ... How are you going to get it... How...' Standing next to the box, she pretended to be watching the men. She knew she couldn't just steal the picture; the men would notice for sure and probably catch her.

"Que fait il?" Kagome's head jerked to the side. Next to her, a darkly clad man was talking on his cell phone. His face was covered with large sunglasses, despite the overcast day, and he was speaking rapidly in French.

'Bingo.' From her brown purse, Kagome extracted a pair of sunglasses to disguise her eyes.

"Monsieur!" Kagome called enthusiastically. The man's head cocked slightly towards her and she smiled. A plan had unfolded in her mind.

"Tu peux aider moi?" Can you help me? In the art of scamming people foreign languages were practically mandatory. While the most Sango could manage was badly mangled Mandarin, Kagome herself spoke five languages. More than anything, she used French. When you used French, you sounded intelligent and classy and people tended to believe you more.

"Tu parles japonais?" Do you speak Japanese? The man nodded slightly. Her smile widened.

"Tu peux traduire pour moi?" Can you translate for me? The man nodded again.

"I need you to tell them," Kagome said fluidly in French while pointing at the workers. "That they have to stop putting the posters up immediately." The man hung up his phone and stared at her for a moment. Kagome wondered if she'd spoke too fast, or if he wasn't sure how to translate that, but a moment later he turned to the men, who were already watching them intently.

"She said she wants you stop putting up the posters," he said curtly. His voice was deep and sexy, and his Japanese accent was perfect.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that his accent wasn't the only thing about him that was perfect. He had to be at least 6"2'. He wore a long, expensive-looking, black coat that covered his lean form. Neat, brown hair framed his face and rested on his shoulder, but strangely enough, his eyebrows were a pale color, almost white. Still, he was by no means old.

Kagome was so mesmerized by his features, she didn't even notice when he spoke to her again. She blinked and shook her head. Focus!

"They want to know who you are," he translated for her. If she thought his Japanese accent was sexy, his French hit her like a small stroke.

"O-Oui!" She exclaimed. "I'm with the board- the board of film directors. I was sent here because the film has been put on hiatus. The posters say that the new movie "Lovers in Paradise" will premiere in December, but in light of new information, the premiere must be postponed until January and for that reason I must reclaim the posters."

Kagome watched the man's expression to see if he needed her to repeat herself, but surprisingly, he was able to translate everything for her perfectly to the confused laborers. She watched as they exchanged glances and mumbles. Kagome sorted through her purse. In a little pouch, there were several business cards that she'd made up for various situations. She found the one she was looking for and pulled it out. The card read "Viola Delacroix". Below the name were a fake address and a phone number that just happened to be that of a nearby Chinese restaurant. Smiling at the workers, she handed her card to one of them.

"Tell them it is my card. They can call me if they have any questions," she told the man while scooping up the box of posters. She didn't wait to hear the man's response, but instead pranced off with the posters, leaving a gang of bemused men in her wake.

'Sango's going to die when she sees all this,' Kagome thought proudly. She had no idea it was going to be that easy. The men had completely fallen for the entire thing, and she'd hardly even tried. Still, she had felt a little bummed that she didn't hang around the French man a little longer. It wasn't every day you met a man that attractive.

Kagome stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around to behold the beautiful man again, she wondered if for once, the gods had heard her prayers.

"I'm sorry, I did not get your name," he told her in Japanese. His voice was flat, but Kagome didn't care. An attractive, young, rich, foreign man was asking for her name. It was just like in a romance movie.

"I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi," she blurted. She could see it already. He was going to tell her she was the most beautiful women he'd ever met. After that, he would offer to take her out for fine Italian dinning. They'd chat over steamy linguini and pricy wine, perhaps about how pretty her eyes looked in candlelight. After dinner, he would casually suggest that they'd go back to his penthouse. She would pretend to be modest, but after a long, intimate kiss she would give in where they would go back to his place and-

"So you are Japanese," he said thoughtfully, plucking the glasses off of her face.

"Um…" Crap. "P-Please, don't say anything, I really need these posters!" Kagome cried.

"Why?" His voice was disbelieving, but he waited patiently to hear what she had to say.

"You see," Kagome said, giving a sad sigh. "Inuyasha is my favorite actor. I've seen all of his movies and TV shows, I know everything about him, I'm his biggest fan! As a matter of fact, you might even say I idolize him." The man didn't say anything so she continued, pulling pages from Sango's book.

"I love everything about Inuyasha. I love his long, silvery hair, and the way it swayed in the wind in "Angel's Requiem". I love his gorgeous eyes and the way they sparkle when the light touches them. I love his smooth, pale- no, ivory skin, and his lips, oh gods, what I wouldn't give..." Kagome paused for dramatic effect.

"What I mean to say, sir, is that I love Inuyasha more then anyone or thing on this earth. If anyone deserves these posters, it's me. To have a picture of Inuyasha that I can just roll out on my floor and lay on top of... Oh the possibilities..." If Sango were here, she'd be proud.

She waited for the man to make any indication that she'd gotten through to him, but he just stood in silence. She wondered what he looked like behind his dark glasses, but all she could see in them was her own reflection.

"So... Um... I'll be going now," she said awkwardly. She turned around and began walking away. She felt slightly embarrassed, not only because she'd been caught in the act, but also because she'd made a fool of herself in front of a gorgeous guy. Now there would be no linguini, no kisses, and no penthouse. It was just her, Sango, a bunch of posters of half-nude, stupid actor, Inuyasha. Lucky her.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder again, she spun around quickly on her heels, too quickly. She lost her balance and the box smashed into the man, causing the posters to fly everywhere. She quickly regained her composure and went to apologize when she noticed that his glasses had fell off, revealing very golden, yet very Japanese eyes. Kagome blinked. Behind the man was the giant poster Inuyasha. Her eyes darted back and forth, then, without warning, her hand shot forward and yanked the man's wig off.

"Oh gods," Kagome whispered when a mass of silvery hair cascaded down his body. It was true! She was standing before Inuyasha, the Inuyasha! Despite the shock, Kagome was still as sharp as ever. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but she was faster.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S INUYASHA!"Kagome screamed, pointing at the stunned movie star. Crowds on both sides of the street stopped and turned, and then suddenly, everyone rushed him like the last Tickle-Me-Elmo.

π

Kagome grabbed one of the posters and narrowly managed to escape the charging fans.

"I heard Inuyasha was spotted in Shibuya earlier today. How could we have missed him?" Sango remarked disdainfully while hugging her poster.

"Beats me," Kagome sighed, rubbing her temple.

She hadn't told Sango about the run-in she had with the famous movie star. She wasn't sure why, especially since she still had his brown wig, which Sango would probably kill for. For some reason, she wanted to keep their encounter to herself. She wanted a secret.

"Hey, Sango," Kagome called to her friend, who was rocking back and forth idly on the swing set. Often, they spent the night at playgrounds, where they could sleep undisturbed until morning.

"Yeah?" Sango asked, not taking her eyes away from the poster.

"Don't you ever think there's more to life then Inuyasha? I mean sure, he's handsome, and sexy, and smart, and has really pretty hair, and, well, you know, all that… What I mean is, it's not like you can ever actually have him, so why don't you just move on and meet some nice guy?"

Kagome had always wondered if her best friend would ever be able to have a relationship with a real person. Ever since they were kids, when Inuyasha had first become popular, Sango was smitten. Because of her good looks, lots of boys had crushes on her in high school, but none of them were good enough. Their hair wasn't long enough, their eyes were too dark, their skin was too tan, and they didn't radiate masculinity, therefore, they were unworthy of Sango's love.

"I can't move on from my dream Kagome," Sango insisted. "Don't you have a dream, or are you too good for something like that?" She accused.

Kagome sighed and leaned back against the slide. Above her, the stars glittered in the clear, expansive sky. Connecting the tiny dots together, she could see a big house by the water with a dog in the yard, and it was all hers. No worries, no cares, just Kagome, her house, and a big, fat dog named Buyo. She was sure she saw it for a moment, but then, just like every other dream, it disappeared and she found she was just looking at a mess of overrated lights in the sky.

"I guess so," Kagome lied. "If I could, I'd live like this forever."

"Yeah, well not me," Sango said proudly. "One day, I'm gonna marry Inuyasha, and we'll live happily ever after!" She exclaimed with a huge grin. Her grin quickly faded when she realized how girly that sounded and she quickly reverted back to her tomboyish manner.

"Or something like that," she said with an awkward shrug.

π

The older woman glared at the man sitting across from her. His eyes were adverted and he was drumming his fingers on the wooden desk. If he had a tail it would no doubt be between his legs right now.

"You know, for someone who claims they don't love anyone but themselves, you certainly seem to love many women," she grunted, glancing pointedly at the magazine cover before them, which he still seemed to ignore.

"What I do to them, Kaede, isn't exactly what I would describe as love," he replied, tucking a stray silver strand behind his ear.

She grunted at this. He knew he was wrong. He knew he was guilty. Kaede had to tell herself over and over in her mind that deep down there was an apologetic young man who just didn't know how to express himself. She had to tell herself this because the only alternative was that she was sitting across from a complete asshole who just didn't give a damn.

"Why don't you explain that to the public then?" Kaede snorted. "Because I can't cover for you much longer. You're losing your fan base. One more scandal and not even Hey!Hey!Hey! will feature you!"

"I'm not losing my fan base," Inuyasha snorted defensively.

"No, you just slept with your fan base," Kaede retorted.

"Then they'll certainly remain loyal," he said, with an air of cockiness. Frustrated, Kaede lifted the magazine and threw it at her top actor. He caught it easily.

"No need to get violent old woman," he chastised, scanning the cover of the magazine. The cover read, in big, bold letters, "Scandal in Tokyo: Inuyasha Caught in the Act!" Beneath the title was a picture of Inuyasha clad in only his boxers at the door of a hotel suite.

"Now that's just inappropriate," he said, handing the magazine back to his manager. Kaede gave him an incredulous look.

"That's all you have to say?" She gasped.

"It's the truth," he relied simply. "Here I was, minding my own business after a long night of mind-blowing fucking and some reporter has to knock on the door and catch me in my boxers. How scandalous of them."

Kaede stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. This was his third scandal this year. He was driving her insane. Before her was the 24-year-old embodiment of Satan who lived in complete ignorance to everyone but himself. He was completely selfish, conceited, arrogant, and self-absorbed. Worst of all, he had been sowing his oats for the past five years and it didn't look like he was parting with his primal desires any time soon. Kaede probably had a better chance of convincing his fan girls to stop sleeping with him, than convincing him to stop accommodating them.

"Listen to me Inuyasha," she began with resolve. "I've been your manager for six years. I was the one that pulled you out of underwear modeling and into super stardom, but by the gods, one more scandal and you're never getting another movie contract under me again, and good luck finding anyone else to sign you!"

π

Kagome shot up from a deep sleep when a soccer ball came hurtling into her face.

"Sorry lady!" A group of boys yelled, laughing. Smiling, Kagome grabbed the soccer ball and bit into as hard as she could, effectively deflating it, then tossed it back to the boys.

"Sorry kids," she said with a satisfied smile. One of the boys began crying, but Kagome didn't pay attention. She scanned the playground for Sango, but her comrade was nowhere to be found.

The sunlight was bright, and she was surprised it hadn't woken her sooner. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes, only to find a small piece of paper taped to it. It read "Went to get breakfast, meet you at Koko's for lunch, Sango". Kagome smiled. Whenever they got separated, they usually met at Koko's Diner, it was sort of tradition.

Kagome hummed softly, peeking into her purse. His brown wig was safely tucked away inside. How much the wig would be worth if she could prove it was actually Inuyasha's? Knowing Sango, she'd be the top bidder.

She wondered if she should give it back, but quickly dismissed the thought. Not only were the chances of her ever getting within 100 meters of Inuyasha again 1 in a bazillion, but he certainly wouldn't want to see her again. Not only did she steal his posters, but she also exposed him in front of a huge crowd of people.

One thing really puzzled her though. Why had he translated for her and let her walk away with the posters in the first place, when it was his movie. Surely he would know if his premiere was postponed. Not to mention it was a bad lie at that. He had to be stupid if he fell for the whole "board of movie directors" thing. Heck, she didn't even know if there was such a thing.

"Maybe he just didn't want to make a scene," Kagome mused, kicking some dirt.

Koko's was a few blocks away from the playground, but Kagome didn't have to walk far to find Sango. After walking only two blocks, she stopped dead in her tracks. A group of cops was struggling to force a thrashing, cursing Sango into the back of a police car. An ambulance whizzed by as Kagome dashed down the block to where Sango was being arrested.

"What's going on?" Kagome shouted at the police, as Sango was locked into the backseat.

"Who are you?" The heavyset cop asked.

"I'm her sister," Kagome lied. The cop looked at her doubtfully.

"She pushed a man into traffic," he informed her, pointing towards the ambulance. An elderly man with a bloodied nose was being loaded into the ambulance.

"There must be some mistake," Kagome told him.

"No mistake," the cop informed. "We've got a whole block full of witnesses."

π

"What were you thinking?!"

"He harassed me!"

"What did he do, try to stick his walking cane up your ass?" Kagome asked.

"No, he tried to solicit me!" Sango retorted.

"And you thought that constituted pushing him into traffic? He's 72-years-old!"

"I didn't push him, I punched him and he fell into traffic, and just because he's 72-years-old doesn't mean he's not a pervert!" Sango defended.

"He's suing for 29,000,000 yen!" Kagome growled.

"Twenty-nine-million-yen? I-Is that the name of our dog?" Sango asked, smacking her face against the jail bars.

Sango's temper had finally been her downfall, and the situation couldn't be worse. When they were younger, Sango had always beaten up any guy who got fresh with her, but now they were nineteen. They weren't in school anymore. There was no detention or cleaning duty, there was jail, and Sango's situation couldn't be worse.

"So next month, on your court date, after you convince them that this 72-year-old man made a pass at you, you're going to explain to them that this 72-year-man deserved to get his nose broken, AND you didn't push him into traffic, you punched him into it," Kagome surmised. Sango winced.

There was a silence between the two women for a moment, until Sango finally spoke up.

"Kags, I'm sorry," she apologized. Kagome frowned at the look of defeat on her best friend's face.

"Hey, don't give up," Kagome reassured. "We'll figure this out. I'll have you out of this jailhouse in no time. We've gotten out of worse things before!"

"Like what?" Sango grumbled, flopping down on her dusty bed.

"Um, I'll figure that one out too..."

"Hey, Kagome…" Sango called.

"You're welcome," Kagome answered. She bit down on her lips to stop from crying. Sango needed her now and she'd always be there for her no matter what.

"No, not that. I just wanted to know if you found my Inuyasha poster."

"How could you even think about Inuyasha at a time like-," Kagome didn't bother finishing her sentence. She suddenly knew what she had to do.

"Sango, don't worry, you'll be a free woman before you can say 'I punched an old perv'!"

π

"Room service!" Kagome called. It had been two hours since she left the jailhouse and she was now standing in front of the hotel room of Inuyasha himself.

It had to be fate for her to snag Inuyasha's wig the day before. Inside it was the tag of an exclusive, designer company located in Shibuya that happened to be right across the street from the highest-class hotel in the area. Okay, so maybe it was a long shot, after all, he could have ordered the wig online or something, but it was all she had to go on.

When she arrived at the hotel, she went to the main lobby and sat down. If Inuyasha was there, she wouldn't be able to just ask for his room number. If you could, then anyone could just go to visit the celebrity's room. She'd expected to have to wait around to spot him, but lucked out.

After waiting an hour, she had to go to the hotel bathroom. While she was there, she overheard a female room attendant telling her friend that she got to bring Inuyasha fresh sheets that morning, and happened to mention he was in Suite 665. Kagome wasted no time in heading up to the top floor.

Kagome waited for a response from inside the room. She had thought the room might be surrounded by armed bodyguards, but fortunately the hallway was empty. After two minutes she knocked again, but still didn't get a response. She waited a little longer, and just when she was about to go back to the lobby and camp out, the door opened.

Kagome was sure she'd had a plan, but when the door opened to reveal a dripping wet, towel-clad Inuyasha, all that escaped her parted lips was a sharp intake of breath. She wasn't sure how long she stood there taking in his perfectly sculpted chest, his rock-hard abs and the sensual way he leaned on the doorframe, but apparently it was too long. Before she knew it, he slammed the door in her face. It took her a moment to realize what had happened, and she quickly began knocking again. When the door opened back up a moment later, Kagome was more prepared.

"H-Hello again," she said lamely. He stared at her in silence. "Remember me?"

"Yeah." Kagome waited for him to say more, but he didn't. Worried he would slam the door on her again, she continued.

"I brought your hair back," she said, offering the wig back. He took it, and then before she could say anything else, shut the door. Now indignant, she knocked on the door again. As if he'd not just shut the door, he answered two minutes later.

"I have to talk to you," she rushed. "I came all this way to bring your wig back and this is how you-"

"How did you get up here?"

"Just lemme in for a sec, okay?" She pleaded, calming down. His eyes swept over her languidly, as if she were a piece of meat, then stepped back, allowing her entry into the room.

She quickly breezed past the celebrity and chose to instead marvel in how fancy his hotel suite was. White plush carpeting, black leather furniture, long-stemmed, marble lamps, Persian rugs, Kagome was sure she could pawn the contents of the suite's living room alone and pay off the old pervert.

She turned back to smile at her host, who looked less than thrilled. Carelessly, she jumped on the leather couch and patted the cushion next to her but he remained on the other side of the room.

"How did you find me?" He asked with slight curiosity, folding his arms across his chest.

"It's a secret," Kagome giggled. He didn't look amused. "I have my ways, okay?" She was quickly starting to dislike him.

"What do you want?"

"29,000,000," Kagome said bluntly. Okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly what one would call a well thought out plan, but what else could she do?

"No."

"I'll pay it back, honest!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Come on, you're a famous star, you have lots of money!"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"No." Kagome pursed her lips together and glared at him. He was insufferable. He had billions and billions of yen, and he couldn't spare her just a few million! How selfish.

"You don't have to pretend," he said, swaggering over to her confidently. Kagome stared at him as if he had grown an extra head as he leaned over her, his arms resting on either side of her head on the back of the couch. "I know why you've come here."

"T-That's because I already told you," Kagome choked out. "I came here for twenty-nine mill-," Kagome's words were cut off when Inuyasha's lips came down hard on hers.

Before Kagome could stop to enjoy her second kiss ever, she pushed him away as hard as he could. He wasn't moved by her hands, but he drew his head back willingly, an annoyed expression on his face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kagome gasped, scrambling away from him.

"Yesterday you told me you were in love with me and now you expect me to believe you're showing up at my room at eleven o'clock at night to borrow a ridiculous sum of money?" He asked doubtfully.

"That was all a lie! I am not in love with you!" Kagome yelled. She had totally forgotten about what she'd said to him the day before, and now felt slightly embarrassed. Still, how could he possibly draw the conclusion that she wanted to sleep with him.

"I came here for ¥29,000,000, and since you just stole my second kiss, pay up!" Kagome declared, sticking out her hand. Instead, Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her against him.

"Your second kiss?" He asked, bringing his lips teasingly close to her own.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Inuyasha ignored it and continued staring into Kagome's defiant eyes. The person knocked again.

"Inuyasha, it's me, Kaede," came a woman's voice from behind the door. "Daisuke Yamura is here for your 11:30 interview."

"Hold on!" Inuyasha called.

Without saying a word to Kagome, he pulled her along to his bedroom and closed the door behind them. He threw the wig on the bed, then, without warning, he dropped his towel. Kagome shrieked and looked away just in time. Silently, she listened to the sounds of drawers opening and closing, and the rustling of clothes.

Kagome's mind was reeling. She should have known when she woke up to a soccer ball to her face that today was going to suck. First her best friend was put into jail for assaulting a senior citizen, and now she was begging the world's biggest jackass for a huge amount of money when all he was interested in doing was molesting her. Yes, today was going famously.

When he finished dressing, Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder and turned her so that she faced him.

"I want you to stay in here and don't make a sound," he threatened.

"And if I do? Will you give me my ¥29,000,000?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Your ¥29,000,000? Since when did I owe you ¥29,000,000?"

"Since I stayed in this room and didn't make a sound," she countered, imitating his gruff tone. His eyes narrowed.

"You'll do as I say or else," he hissed.

That's what you think, tough guy.

π

"So how are you enjoying your stay in Shibuya, Inuyasha?" The interviewer looked at him encouragingly. Staring right into the camera, he recited the same lines he said year after year.

"It's a very beautiful city. The people are very friendly here," he said, repeating the lines Kaede had gone over with him for two hours. The interviewer smiled.

"This is a very nice suite. I hear you've been in Shibuya for a month now while assisting in the preparations for your new film Lovers in Paradise. Could you tell us a little about the film?"

"It's a drama about a dying man who falls in love with a young woman," Inuyasha explained.

"I'm afraid we can't say much more," Kaede interjected. "We wouldn't want to give away too much. All we can say is that it's a very beautiful story." The interviewer nodded in understanding.

He shifted on the couch beside Inuyasha and Kaede, and referred back to the list of questions in his hand.

"Inuyasha, what is your response to the latest scandal reports?" Inuyasha had been expecting that question. He knew they didn't care about how he was enjoying the city, or even about his new movie. They were hoping to squelch information from him about his personal affairs. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kaede was watching him carefully.

His manager Kaede had insisted on sitting in on the interview. Although he didn't show it, it deeply aggravated him. He was fully capable of handling an interview. It was an insult to his intelligence for her to sit beside him, making sure he didn't say anything inappropriate. Despite how he felt, he couldn't object. For at least the next few months, he couldn't screw up again.

"That incident was a complete misconception. I've already explained to the press, the nature of the alleged scandal, but the press will do anything for a-"

"Inuyasha?" The cameras turned rapidly. Emerging from his room, wearing only his brown wig, underwear, one of his dress shirts, and loads of his costume makeup was Kagome. Kaede shot him a scathing look and the interviewer jumped up from the couch and rushed over to her.

"Who are you guys?" Kagome asked, faking a huge yawn. "I didn't know you were busy Inu," she cooed.

"Ma'am, can I get your name?" The man asked anxiously. Not one to sit by while his career was being ruined, Inuyasha leapt up from the couch.

"Me, I'm-."

"Kikyo," Inuyasha announced, sliding his arm around her waist. "Her name's Kikyo and she's my fiancé."

"W-What?!" Kagome gasped.

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First off, 29 million yen is only about 270,000 USD, but still a lot.. Any other questions, just ask!

If this looks familiar to you, I rewrote it recently so that I could continue it properly! ;)

π Chapter 2 Preview π

Did Inuyasha, the super-famous, super-jackass of a celebrity just say they were engaged?

"She's one in twenty-nine million," He interjected, his grip on her tightening. Kagome's mouth snapped shut and she quickly leaned her head on his shoulder, a large, cheesy grin splayed across her face.

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"No sex?"He asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"I hope you understand we will have to be married for a while."

"I'll survive, I'm not a pervert."

"I'll cheat on you," he admitted honestly.

"Like I care," she shot back.