The characters of Inuyasha (manga and anime) belong to Takahashi Rumiko
Buck's Night
Two people sat in the dining room opposite of each other, the atmosphere thick and heavy with the silence smothering them like a blanket. It wasn't long until one of the brother's, the more irritable one, began tapping his fingers on the table, his patience growing thin at his older brother's refusal to say anything, causing Inuyasha to become more agitated.
"Fuck you", the hanyou simply said, his voice cutting through the air so sharply, it made Sesshoumaru visibly flinch.
"I… don't see what you could mean," he replied, finding it somewhat difficult to regain his composure. "Did you really find it that offensive?"
"Offensive?" Inuyasha spat. "Of course I found it offensive! I wasn't drunk enough to enjoy your les performance extraordinaire." Though, that was not exactly true, after all, what he had witnessed last night, he only wished he was so pissed drunk that he would've ended up near to the point of unconsciousness. It was an image that was burnt into his memory, and undoubtedly would last until his final day.
He remembered that special night clearly, Buck's Night, a day where men sought to cram one last day of single life with drinking, drinking, and laughing, while recounting many an embarrassing story of how someone like him was able to make a catch of a woman like his soon to be wife, Kagome.
Thankfully, the night's events were drawing to a close, though he had suspected his friends would be more than willing to see how long they could last until the wedding day. Especially Miroku, who had somehow managed to drag him to a place where young men (and some men who stayed young in their pants) such as themselves, would be able to see scantily-clad women parading about on a high platform, to be ogled and wolf whistled at by men who would have enjoyed such a thing.
But Inuyasha didn't. The hours now appeared more sluggish than he would have liked, and the loud, constantly pounding music did nothing to improve his already souring mood.
"How do you like that eh, Inuyasha?" Miroku shouted happily over the deafening music, before proceeding to call out to a brunette woman who was caressing the pole with her body like some big phallic symbol.
"She'sss doing heer job, I guess," he replied, his words slurring, while he asked the hostess for another drink. Although, he had to admit – to himself that is – that the dancing woman obviously had some strength to hold herself up in the air to such a thin metal pole.
"Come on, buddy," his best friend continued, unashamedly. "Cheer up a little. The best bit is about to come. I heard one of Kagome's girlfriends organised it.
"Really?" the hanyou asked, only half interested, swirling the beer around in his schooner before taking another gulp.
The music slowly died down, along with the lights, which changed from a white to a soft blue. Smooth music began to float into the room, creating a scene that was quite different from the previous upbeat tune.
Inuyasha looked at his watch, his vision blurring in and out of focus. And were there two drinks he could now see in his hand? He smiled, not noticing how the room was hushed, except for a few gasps and sighs coming from behind him, or was that from the people next to him?
"Oh my god…" he heard Kouga mutter out, shaking the hanyou's shoulder to gain his attention.
And what he saw caused his whole body to freeze, and the cold drink in his mouth to dribble down his chin and clothes.
It was his older brother, expertly dancing around the pole wearing nothing but loose fitting pants, as if he had done pole-dancing all of his life.
Inuyasha kept staring, unable to peel his eyes away from the dancing figure, until Sesshoumaru flipped back his long silver hair, and made eye contact with his younger brother.
The effect was instantaneous, as the colour from the youkai's already pale face seemed to drain away, leaving the man stuck in a crouching position, finding himself incapable of moving in case…
Well, it was too late to think about the consequences, as both brothers could suddenly hear an eruption of giggles from behind them, a very familiar sounding, and female giggles.
"How should I have known that it was your Buck's Night I was going to perform in? They had said it was for a private performance."
"That's not very funny, you know."
"If it makes you feel any better, I have to face the terrible fact that I had to perform at your soon-to-be wife's Hen's Night."
"And what a wonderful performance it was, my darling son." Sesshoumaru's mother chimed in, having just come down the stairs after getting her hair and makeup ready. "When are you going to get married, Sesshoumaru? I so do want to see Inuyasha on the live stage."
From that comment alone, it was enough to change both of the brother's moods, as the both of them quickly became very silent, and somewhat more meek than usual, a mood that Inuyasha continued to languish in, until a quick jab from the best man's elbow brought him back to reality, and just in time for him to hear the priest announce the hanyou and his lovely bride as man and wife.
It was about time too, after what he had been through, the sweet kiss from Kagome's lips made him feel a lot better, a lot better indeed.