Title: Speed Dating For Dummies
Author: Reinamy
Pairing: Kagome/Inuyasha
Pairing: PG-13
Warnings: Modern AU, mild language, etc.
Summary: One scheming mother, one reluctant daughter, and twenty hopeful men. It all adds up to a very uncomfortable evening for one Higurashi Kagome.
Disclaimer: This is non-profitable fanwork. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: So. I did a thing. And the thing grew legs, kicked me in the shin, and ran away from me. Even my own stories are against me. OTL
This is a two-shot. The next part should be up soon-ish. If anyone would like to beta-read this story, feel free to send me a PM. Anyway, please enjoy the fic! Oh, and happy holidays, everyone!
PART ONE
"You've got to be kidding me," Kagome said as she stared at the ticket her mom pushed into her hands. "Speed dating, mama? Really?"
Mrs. Higurashi smiled good-naturedly at her daughter. "I know it was a bit presumptuous of me to sign you up without your permission—"
"You think?" Kagome bit out.
"—but I really feel like it would do you some good," Mrs. Higurashi continued blithely. "Oh, Kagome. It's been so long since you've gone on a date. All you do is work, work, work. What kind of life is that? Ever since that man—"
"I thought we agreed never to talk about him!"
"—broke things off with you, you've completely cut yourself off from other people." Mrs. Higurashi leaned forward and cupped her scowling daughter's cheek. "Just try, sweetheart. Even if you don't meet the one, it might be the push you need to get out there again. I do so worry about you, Kagome."
The indignation she was struggling to hold onto disintegrated at her mother's concern. Kagome was many things, but a bad daughter wasn't one of them. She glanced down at the ticket, where the words Tokyo Speed Dating! Meet Your Match! were emblazoned on the front, and sighed.
"I guess I'm going speed dating," she muttered, slumping into the couch.
Her mother turned her face away to hide her victorious smile.
x-x-x
"What to wear, what to wear," she muttered to herself, flicking through the clothes in her closet. On her bed lay a pile of discarded outfits nearly as tall as she was. Usually she wasn't so fussy about the clothes she wore, but usually she wasn't about to go on several dates in the span of two hours, either.
Why, oh why couldn't her mother have told her about the stupid event earlier. Bad enough she had to go at all, but now she only had a few hours to prepare for it. And yeah, maybe Kagome wasn't really expecting much out of it, but that didn't mean she wanted to look like a slob. Especially if there were good looking men there. More especially if there were beautiful women.
While pretty, Kagome wasn't exactly what anyone would call gorgeous. At least not without copious amounts of make-up, tastefully chosen clothing, and a flattering light source. So she had to try a little bit harder than the average female to look really, really good. Head-turning kind of good.
Sometimes she hated being a woman.
She found a mauve-colored blouse with capped sleeves in the back of her closet that she couldn't even remember buying. She pressed it to her front and studied it in the mirror, and after a moment of consideration, gave a decisive nod. Deciding whether to wear pants or a skirt was equally difficult, and it took her nearly twenty minutes to decide on a grey mini skirt, which she matched with dark, almond-toe pumps.
Kagome noticed the time and cursed; there went her hope of flattening her hair. Resigned, she pulled it up into an updo she hoped looked sexy instead of sloppy. As for make-up, all she had time for was a classic bambi look via eyeliner and plain lip balm. Mascara was out of the question—she had no time left to apply it neatly—and she figured blush would be redundant if she was going to be running there anyway.
She glanced at herself in the mirror once more before grabbing her purse and phone. She made a mental note to pick up some chewing gum at a convenience store on her way there.
x-x-x
Not for the first time, Kagome wondered how her mother managed to talk her into this.
The whole thing was nerve wracking. The event was taking place in a large, elaborately decorated western-styled room in a thankfully nondescript building. At the center of the room was a double row of ten ovoid tables, each with two flimsy-looking chairs tucked into both ends. On top sat vases containing a single rose and a small, scented-candle. Silver streamers coiled around four tall columns and hung neatly between them.
The lighting was dim, to Kagome's relief, and off to the side a radio streamed slow jazz. She supposed it was romantic, if you were into that sort of thing. Which, admittedly, she had been at one point in her life. Not anymore, though. Over the years she'd learned to appreciate romance in a more…organic form.
She'd take a picnic beneath the stars over a candlelit dinner any day.
Something, unfortunately, most people didn't seem to agree with.
When her name was called, Kagome walked to the front of the room where a woman carrying a red box waited. Feeling dozens of eyes on her, she struggled not to let any of her anxiety show. When the administrator handed over a sticky nametag, she took it and offered a smile she hoped was convincing.
So, so nerve wracking.
Kagome pressed the sticker to her blouse, inched to the back of the group, and leaned against a column, opting to survey the others rather than mingle. Contrary to what she'd thought, the people gathered were pretty normal. There were a few who fell a little short of the average line, and a few who were noticeably above it, but for the most part the majority seemed to straddle the line.
The group was also a mixed bag as far as species went, though human seemed to make up the majority. Kagome was sure she'd spotted at least two or three youkai, though she couldn't pinpoint any of them now. Not surprising since the place was huge and there were a lot of people—forty of whom were participants, and a handful of others who must have been management.
But back to the whole youkai thing.
Kagome tipped her head back and closed her eyes, trying to block everything out. As her awareness contracted and the sounds of the others fell to the background, she thought about it. Dating a youkai wasn't something she'd put a lot of consideration into, in all honestly. Somehow, she'd never met any who she considered dating material—none who were unattached or interested in interspecies relationships, anyway.
Did she care if her partner wasn't human? She pursed her lips as she contemplated it.
No, she decided. I don't.
Human, youkai, hanyou, whatever. As long as they were decent to look at and more than just 'tolerable' to be around, she didn't see why not. Certainly a youkai male couldn't be any worse than some of the human males she'd been unfortunate enough to date.
And frankly, she couldn't imagine anyone being worse than her last ex.
Her reverie was interrupted when the administrator called out, "Can I get everyone's attention, please!" and the group congregated towards the a makeshift podium.
Reluctantly, Kagome opened her eyes.
And blinked, because there, across the room, a guy was staring at her.
Kagome's first thought was: gorgeous.
No, actually, it was why is he staring at me like that? and crap, do I have something on my face?
But gods, he's gorgeous was quick to follow. And he was—devastatingly so. His golden eyes seemed to glow in the muted light, inexplicably reminding her of stars. His face was pleasant to look at, but what stood out the most was the long, thick mane of silver hair fanning it, pulled back, from what she could see, by a band at his nape.
Her third thought was: dog ears! Because there, atop his head, were actual, honest-to-god dog ears. Kagome's fingers twitched with the urge to touch them. They were so cute.
They were also a glaring indicator that the guy was not human. Not that it stopped for from wanting to reach out and stroke them. Aghast at the shape her thoughts were taking, Kagome pushed off the column and was the first to look away. She then headed towards the bubbly administrator, who was saying,
"—remember, I will bang the gong every five minutes, in which case the men will move on to their next date. When you take your seats there will be a personal match folder," she lifted the one she held in her hand, "waiting for you. Please write your name at the top. As you see, there are two columns below it. In the first you write the name of your date, and in the second a simple yes or no. If any of your selections choose you as well, we will send them your email address to contact you with. Please keep your folder on your person at all times."
Another woman stepped forward and piped up, "We're sure you've noticed the stack of cards on the table. They're topic ideas, just in case you require some inspiration. Keep in mind that—"
Kagome tuned her out. She was starting to feel incredibly nervous and could only pray that she didn't start to sweat heavily or something equally gross.
Why did I let myself get talked into this? She wondered for the umpteenth time. Kagome hated dating. Hated it with the passion of a thousand erupting volcanoes. The small talk, the stilted conversation, the awkwardness, the anxiety, the constant worrying over whether or not you were being dull, or stupid, or weird, or if the other person found you attractive…it was awful.
And now she had to go through it twenty times.
From the corner of her eye she spotted a hint of silver and red, but then the gong sounded—and Kagome just knew she was going to get tired of that, fast—and suddenly she was scrambling to find a seat.
She chose one opposite to a guy who was considerably older than she was, though decidedly handsome. He smiled at her kindly, if not a bit tensely, and she mirrored it.
"Please begin!" the admin declared, casting an encouraging smile around the room. "Remember, five minutes! Good luck, everyone!"
Well, here goes nothing. Gathering courage, Kagome focused her attention on her…date.
"Hi," he started with a small bow. "I'm Ogino Takeshi. It's a pleasure to meet you…" he peered at her nametag and quirked his brow, "…Higurashi Kagome?"
"Uh, you, as well," Kagome returned with an incline of her head before jotting his name down in the first slot. "And yup, that's me. So. Hi. Which you already said. Um." She closed her eyes briefly and tried to gain her bearings. Pretend it's not a date, she told herself, watching as the man tried to hide his amusement at her fumbling. Pretend it's just…a meeting with a friend. A potential friend. Or something. Gah, why did I agree to this?
"So what is it that you do?" the man asked politely, shifting in his seat.
Kagome almost sighed in relief. That was a simple question, one she'd answered a million times before. She could do this. "It's actually pretty boring," she admitted with a sheepish shrug. "I'm a medical coder at Tokyo Metropolitan hospital."
At his blank look she explained, "I basically review medical records to assign specific codes for medical supplies and services. It's to ensure my medical provider gets properly reimbursed." His expression didn't change, so she elaborated further, "For example, say a child breaks their leg and they go to the hospital. Well, there's a code for the injury and the procedure used to set it and the necessary equipment. I determine the codes, which gets sent to a biller, which in turn gets sent to the appropriate health insurance company or the patient's family, whichever is applicable."
Understanding chased away the blank look in his eyes and he nodded. "Ah, I see. Is it very difficult?"
Kagome started to shake her head, then paused. "Not really. Challenging, yes, because there are literally thousands of overlapping codes that change on a yearly basis, but I enjoy it, even if I am stuck in an office all day. What about you, Ogino-san? What is it that you do?"
Apparently the man was a salesman whose work necessitated he travel everywhere. And while he loved traveling, he admitted it didn't exactly make it easy to find someone.
They shared no interests or hobbies, but did have similar tastes in food, and Kagome rather liked his stories about some of the people he'd met on his travels. She was almost sorry to see him go when the gong sounded. Almost.
"It was nice talking to you," Kagome told him with surprising honesty.
He smiled. "You as well, Higurashi-san. Take care."
And then he was gone, and Kagome took the twenty second reprieve they were given before the gong sounded again to jot down NO beside his name, close her eyes, and sigh.
One down, nineteen more to go.
x-x-x
Guy #2 was a hardcore otaku the likes of which she'd never seen before. For the five minutes they were together she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Every word out of his mouth was "Anime this," and "Manga that," and "Live-action drama so-and-so."
Kagome might have been less irritated if the series he chattered on about were anything other than mahou shoujo anime she grew out of when she was ten. But nope. If Kagome had to hear one more word about how cute she'd look in this character's dress and how lovely she'd be if she dyed and styled her hair to imitate that character, she was going hit him over the head with the vase.
When the gong finally, finally, finally sounded, she very nearly clapped for joy.
It was a shame, really, since the guy had been kind of cute.
x-x-x
Guy #3 was a pervert. End of story.
He spent their allotted time with his eyes glued to her chest, and Kagome was pretty damn sure he'd tried to feel her up beneath the table.
The gong couldn't have come fast enough, and when the guy, eyes still fixed on her breasts, asked if she was going to write yes next to his name, she smiled sweetly and assured him she would.
She took great relish in writing out NO.
x-x-x
Guy #4 wasn't too bad.
They didn't have much in common, but he was nice enough, if timid. Not that Kagome blamed him—the whole event was like those awful class-presentations she had to suffer through in school. Only worse, because the moment it was over you couldn't even catch your breath before it was time to do it all over again in front of a different crowd.
So she patiently listened to him stutter out an anecdote that might have been amusing if he didn't take so long getting his point across.
She genuinely felt bad when their time came to an end and he granted her an adorably sweet smile before shuffling away, because she'd never intended to write YES.
x-x-x
Guy #5 was youkai. A wolf one, by the look of it.
He had bronze skin and coppery hair and his eyes were a lovely shade of green, almost like moss. Kagome was slightly intimidated by his lethal-looking fangs whenever he grinned at her, which was often, but whatever reservations she had were gone by the time the second minute passed.
Saga was a hoot. Kagome was in actual, life-threatening stitches, and was so grateful that she hadn't put on mascara after all because it definitely would have been running by then. The youkai seemed utterly pleased with himself when the gong sounded and he sauntered away, his adorable tail swishing confidently behind him, and Kagome didn't blame him.
She ducked her head to hide her smile when he winked at her from the next table—and also because his new date was trying to set Kagome on fire with her eyes—and wasted no time in uncapping the pen and scribbling YES next to his name.
Maybe the entire thing wouldn't be a wash after all.
x-x-x
Guy #6.
Less said about him the better.
x-x-x
Guy #7, who was slightly older than her and worked at a car insurance company, was decent.
Or so she'd thought until she made the mistake of mentioning that she'd graduated from Tokyo University and he completely broke down. Kagome watched, horrified, as his shoulders started to shake and literal tears spilled over, splotching the tablecloth.
Through the sniffling and keening she somehow managed to glean that it had always been his dream to attend Tokyo University, but he'd been rejected. Twice. Apparently he'd been so ashamed of his failure that he'd considered going to Aokigahara (he didn't offer further elaboration, but Kagome wasn't stupid; it was called "Suicide Forest" for a reason) until his older brother talked him out of it.
Kagome spent the remaining three minutes and twenty-five seconds patting his hand and lying through her teeth about how overrated her alma mater was. It didn't feel right to disparage the school that had done so much for her, but school pride was hardly enough to justify the disregard of another human being's emotional wellbeing.
"Really?" Takanaki-san asked hopefully after she'd explained in excruciating detail how terrible two of her science professors had been. The best part was that she hadn't needed to lie.
Kagome nodded seriously. "Uh-huh. They were awful. The whole university called them Bastard-sensei and Bitch-sensei behind their backs. Everyone made official complaints about them, even other staff members. Once, we even managed to get over three-thousand signatures to show the Headmaster how—"
When the gong sounded and Takanaki-san moved on, Kagome was gratified that he did so with a small smile, even if his eyes were a little red.
She was exhausted, though. Only five minutes with him and she felt emotionally wrung out. She couldn't imagine how draining it would be to actually date the man. Which was why she wrote NO. She felt guilty—especially when she caught him sneaking shy glances at her from the other table—but neither guilt nor pity were good reasons to date anyone.
They both deserved better than that.
x-x-x
Guys #8 and #9 were both mind-numbingly dull. Not to mention sexist. They both had the same droning voice, both seemed to only want to either lecture her or talk about themselves, and both seemed to think it was appropriate asking her personal questions, such as how many children she wanted to have and if she was considering having them soon and whether or not she'd think about quitting her job to take care of them, "As a respectable woman should."
Kagome wasn't surprised in the least to learn that they were cousins. It made her shudder to think about what the rest of their family was like.
She was perhaps a bit too forceful when she scribbled duplicate NOs.
x-x-x
If Kagome could choose one word to describe Guy #10, it would be creepy.
She wasn't sure why, exactly. He certainly looked normal enough. He was polite, unlike that pervert who couldn't tear his eyes away from her chest or those cousins who monopolized the conversation and talked over her when she tried to wrangle it back. For all intents and purposes, Kawaguchi Ren was normal.
And yet Kagome couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something not quite right about him. When he smiled at her, teeth perfectly straight and practically glowing, she felt a full body shudder. When he reached forward and brushed her knuckles with the tip of his fingers, gooseflesh broke out across her skin.
Kagome was quiet during their date, impatiently waiting for the sound of the gong. She just wanted this guy gone. When it finally came, she almost wilted from sheer relief. That is, until he leaned over the table to brush his lips against her ear and whisper, "You're lovely, you know. I do so hope you write yes next to my name."
His hot, stale breath against her face was awful, and it took every ounce of self-control she had to smile at him through her discomfort and not rub furiously at her ear.
Knowing that he'd be looking, Kagome jot down YES. However, the moment her date with Guy #11 was over—which she could hardly remember because she still felt so unnerved—she crossed it out and wrote in large, clear characters, NO.
She even underlined it to get her point across.
x-x-x
The administrators announced a fifteen minute recess and Kagome was quick to make her exit. The first breath of fresh air was such a welcome relief that her knees nearly buckled. All her her pent-up anxiety and frustration and worry seemed to catch on the wind where it was mercifully carried away. After taking a moment to just breathe again, which was easier without the overbearing presence of the others, she shook herself out and hurried across the street before the light turned blue.
Her mother would be disappointed to know that rather than inspire in her a desire to date, the whole event was doing the exact opposite. Kagome didn't want to go on another date for the rest of her life. If that meant dying alone, so be it.
I must've gotten my penchant for melodrama from grandpa, she thought wryly, ducking into a convenience store.
When Kagome stepped out a few minutes later, bottle of water in one hand and two colorful sticks of dango in the other, she looked across the street and froze, nearly colliding with a passerby in the process. She hastily bowed an apology, and sighed in relief when the woman dismissed it with a wave. She was more careful of her surroundings as she made it to edge of the block, but then curiosity won out and she glanced up.
The guy from before was looking straight at her. His eyes weren't nearly so bright beneath the sunlight. His hair was another story. As she waited for the streetlight to change she marveled at the way it glittered, sunlight playing off the silver strands. Once again her eyes were drawn to the twin dog ears poking out from his head. Something he must have noticed, because they twitched.
She felt her face burn and hastily averted her gaze. He'd definitely caught her staring at his ears. Whoops.
The light changed and Kagome crossed the street. For the most part her attention was on the road, but more often than she'd like to admit she sought out the gaze of the dog-eared guy, who seemed perfectly content to stare at her.
Why is he looking at me? she wondered apprehensively. It would have been easier to guess if she could at least figure out what his indecipherable look meant. Kagome was at a complete loss as she stepped onto the curb and made her way towards the building, slowly closing the distance between them.
A glance at her watch revealed that she still had ten minutes to her break, and as little as she wanted to be stared at by this guy, she wanted to be in that room with all those people (especially the guy she'd taken to calling Mr. Creepy) even less. So Kagome chose to ignore him, reclaimed her spot on the wall, and focused on her food.
By the time she'd devoured half of her water and one of her dango sticks, irritation was setting in. She could practically feel the guy's gaze on the side of her face. Who even did that? Did he not understand the concept of common courtesy? Or at the very least subtlety?
Halfway into her second dango stick her frustration reached its boiling point. This is ridiculous, she thought before craning her head to snap, "Could you stop staring at me?"
The guy visibly startled. For a moment it seemed as if he might not have realized what he'd been doing, but Kagome dismissed the idea immediately. More like he didn't expect to get confronted about it.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" the guy demanded with a glare.
With a glare! As if he had any right to be angry with her!
"I'm talking," Kagome gritted out, "about how you've been creepily staring at me for the last five minutes now. And I'm asking you to stop, because again, it's creepy."
"You're crazy," he accused. "And clearly blind. I wasn't staring at you, obviously—"
Kagome did not like what he was insinuating there.
"You know, you'd think with those ears you'd be able to listen to people better—"
"Hey! You got a problem with my ears?" the youkai demanded, bristling. Atop his head his ears went flat.
Kagome snapped, "No, I think they're wonderful—," she had a feeling she was going to regret her brutal honesty later, especially after the guy's eyes widened into pommels and he gaped at her, "—however, I do have a problem with you staring at me like a creeper and then denying it!"
The guy didn't seem to know how to respond to that. After a moment of spluttering, he visibly drew himself up, scoffed, "Keh, whatever," and pushed off the wall.
Kagome glared at his back as he stalked towards the entrance, stepping through the doors just as they were pushed open from the inside. She heard a familiar voice growl, "Hanyou," followed by an equally disgruntled, "Fuck off, wolf," before the tips of the man's silver hair disappeared and Saga's face poked out and swiveled in her direction.
"Kagome-san!" he said, green eyes crinkling at the corners. "There you are."
She blinked at the youkai, feeling thrown by the sudden turn the situation had taken and the rapid shift in her own emotions. The indignation that had been boiling inside her was simmering down now that its cause was nowhere in sight, but the suddenness left her feeling off-kilter. That Saga was someone she didn't mind seeing made it worse.
"Uh, Saga-san. Hi. Did you...need me for something?"
The man stepped out onto the street and planted his hands on his hips, looking every inch the cocky youkai portrayed in interspecies rom-coms. He was good looking enough to pull it off, certainly.
"Always," he said flirtatiously, smirk widening when Kagome flushed at the innuendo, "though right now I just wanted to let you know that the second round's about to start."
Eyes widening, Kagome looked at her watch. And promptly slumped because he was right. Two minutes of the break remained. It had gone by way too quickly if you asked her. Stubbornly, she blamed that rude, egotistical, too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good youkai—hanyou?—for it.
Her reaction seemed to please Saga, who winked and held the door open for her. "I understand," he said solemnly. "I've ruined you for anyone else. Now you can't help but compare the other males to me, and no doubt they keep falling short. 'Tis the curse of perfection, I'm afraid, though I bear it with humbleness."
Kagome stifled a snort, more amused by his arrogance than she normally would be. Saga wore conceit as if it were an expensive Armani suit. You had to admire it regardless how pretentious or ridiculous it actually was. Or, maybe because of it.
"Don't worry," he continued, trailing behind her and leaning in close. So much so that she could feel his breath on her ear and shivered from it. "You've done much the same."
And then he was off, disappearing into the throng of hopefuls before Kagome could utter a word in reply. Which, she thought, was probably a good thing. How was she supposed to respond to that?
Without her permission her lips quirked into a small smile. While embarrassing, it was also really flattering, especially since there were women here who were so much prettier than she was.
As she busied herself with finding her seat and avoiding Mr. Creepy, she never noticed the golden-eyed glare directed at her back.
TO BE CONT'D
A/N: Thanks for reading! Feedback is welcome, as always.