Leading On
By InusMistress
Chapter One:
Obnoxious and Gorgeous
"Fluffy! Would you stop it?" Kagome yelled as she ran after her new pet. 'I knew it was a bad idea to walk him on the beach!' Kagome had just gotten the cutest puppy, but had never realized he would be so hard to handle. She was really running now, and couldn't hold him back with his leash. Why was he so excited? She didn't have time to ponder over this, though, because she let out a squeal as she tripped and fell forward, her face slamming into the warm sand.
"Argh!" She wasn't worried about Fluffy, he would be back soon enough – for food at least. "Ungrateful thing…" She whined as she spit out some sand.
"Are you okay?" she heard a masculine voice ask from above her. Kagome was surprised that there was an actual person on the beach so early – someone who spoke English, no less. She lifted her head, and tried to look at him, but the sun was really blocking her from seeing much, he was angled in such a way that looking towards his face was blinding, and she had to struggle to get up before she could see him properly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." She closed her eyes to brush some sand from her face, and heard him chuckle.
"You know," he said, "I have a theory that dogs get more excited when the person walking them gets angry. If you stay calm, or let him go, he'll come back."
He was right. Kagome knew he was right, but she was still pissed off and really didn't feel like having some guy lecture her on the way she was walking her dog. She opened her eyes, and placed a hand over her eyes to shield her vision from the blinding sun. "Sure," she started, "but I just got him. He would get lost."
She was so busy snapping at him that she had yet to really look at him. When she finished her snide remark, she looked into his eyes. They were beautiful: golden, with a shade of brown around the pupil. His hair was long and black, and he was dressed in a white wife beater and jeans shorts, and she could see exactly how muscular he was. 'Whoa.' She realized he was answering her, and she knew his tone was just as sarcastic as hers, but he looked amused, and she couldn't concentrate on a word he was saying, so focused she was on his eyes.
"What?" he asked. "Did you hit yourself that hard on the head or are you always that quiet?"
Who the hell was he to speak to her that way? "I'm fine," she replied tensely. Tearing her eyes from his, she turned away to look for Fluffy, and was surprised to see him running to her. "Fluffy!" She yelled, beaming. "Come here, boy!" She'd been a little worried, even though very little people were around – no one would hurt him. But he was so small he could have been stepped on. She got on her knees, and extended her arms, gesturing for him to come to her. The young man who was standing in front of her turned around in time to see the puppy running towards…him. Fluffy stopped right in front of the golden-eyed beauty, completely ignoring Kagome, and proceeded to lick his shoes.
Kagome scoffed. "Are you kidding me?!"
The young man laughed and reached down to pet the dog. "Dogs like me, is all," he said with a shrug. "I guess they can relate to me."
Kagome frowned. This guy was weird. "Okay, well I think we should get going. It's dark, and I have to be back before ten."
"Curfew?" he teased, completely ignoring the fact that she wanted him to let go of her dog, because Fluffy obviously wouldn't leave with his own initiative.
"Don't be rude," she snapped.
"Sorry," he said with a smirk, not meaning it at all. "Why do you have to be home so early?" He asked, standing up straight. Fluffy looked up at him and whined, barking for the man to give him some attention.
She blinked. "That's none of your business, really," she stuttered, shocked at his question. Would he just leave her alone? He was extremely gorgeous, but that didn't give him the right to be a prick.
"Then why did you tell me you had to be home by eight?"
Kagome's mouth opened, and she tried to say something, she really did, but nothing would come out. She growled. "I don't have to answer any of your questions. I'm leaving. Come on, Fluffy!"
And she prayed for her dog to listen to her, for once. 'Please, please, please!! I'll give you all the treats in the world if you just leave with me, now!' But of course, why would he? She stared at him intently, but he was too busy barking at the gorgeous man in front of him.
Said man chuckled. "Fine, if you really want to leave, I'll stop bothering you." Kagome didn't say a word, but her eyes rose to look into his. "See you around," he said with a grin, accompanying his words with a wave of the hand.
He then walked off in the opposite direction, and somehow, Fluffy didn't follow him, and turned to stare at his owner. "Oh, now you agree, you annoying thing?" Kagome spat. She felt like stomping on the ground in frustration. She could hear the damn guy chuckle behind her, but she refused to acknowledge him. She reached down to pick up Fluffy's leash, and started to walk, her pace faster than it was before, and he happily followed after her.
It took about a half hour to walk back to the hotel she was staying at. She glanced at her watch. It was almost ten already. She hadn't known what had come over her that evening – she'd had an urge to go watch the sunset. So she had gotten up and gotten out of the hotel as quietly as possible so that she wouldn't wake up her friends. They were all taking a nap before going out to meet a friend of Kagura's for dinner. Fluffy had been amazingly quiet as they'd gotten out, and she had felt so refreshed when she'd smelled the fresh air. There was an amazing breeze, and the sunset was beautiful on the beach. If only she hadn't taken Fluffy with her, it would have been a more peaceful morning. 'But I wouldn't have met that guy,' she found herself thinking. 'I don't even know his name,' she thought. But who cared, anyway? He was a jerk. A total and utter jerk. But a gorgeous one, she had to admit.
She slid her magnetic card into the slit at the door and waited for it to beep. A second later, she was inside, trying her hardest not to wake anyone up as she walked into the room she was sharing with Sango.
Sango Matsu had always been Kagome's best friend. They'd known each other forever, and knew everything about each other. "Kagome?" the said girl whispered. "You okay?" She was lying on her stomach on the bed, half covered with the sheets. "It's so early…" she said woozily, not realizing that it wasn't morning.
"Sorry!" was Kagome's fast reply. "Sleep, sleep. I was walking Fluffy." Sango hardly nodded before she pushed her face back into the pillow.
"'Night…" she moaned.
Kagome smiled and undid Fluffy's leash. He quickly ran to the kitchenette, his tail flapping behind him. He'd found his favorite spot in the suite a few hours after he'd gotten there. Kagome, Sango, Rin, and Kagura were all in their first college year and had all wanted to take a break during their first summer. They'd all decided to go to a French island south of France – Corsica. She and Kagura could speak fluent French, but Kagome's accent was a little bad.
She looked at Sango who was already snoring. They had all gone clubbing the night before, and hadn't come home until six, and she was surprised that she could be so awake at all. She sat down on the little couch they had in the tiny living room and turned on the television. A local news channel was the only interesting thing on.
"Ce soir, à Paris, dans les alentours de la Bastille, une femme de 26 ans a été enlevée – " (1)
Kagome didn't feel like listening to that anymore. It was too depressing.
She stretched out on the couch and thought about her mother back in New York. She mentally calculated – she was seven hours ahead, and since it was about nine-thirty, she could call her.
She dialed the number and waited a few seconds for her mother to answer. "Hello?" the sweet voice asked.
"Hey mom," the young girl said with a smile.
"Kagome!!" Kama shrieked. "Honey, how are you? Are you doing well? Having fun? God bless! I was starting to worry."
Why? Kagome had called her right after landing, three days ago. "Everything's fine, mom. I just wanted to call and say hi."
Kama went on and on about how happy she was to hear her voice, and started telling Kagome about little things happening at home, and even though Kagome smiled and listened, her mind was somewhere else as she stared at Fluffy.
"Oh, guys, please wait! I really want to get in there!" Kagome whined in front of a pet store.
"We're at a pet store in France, Kagome. You're not seriously going to buy an animal?" Kagura had replied coldly.
"Oh, come on!" Rin had defended Kagome. "Let's just go in and see for a minute. I love that little dog!" She pointed through the window. "The little white one there!"
Kagura sighed and nodded. She had always felt protective towards the youngest girl – they had been great friends for years. Kagura was tall, slim and cold looking. She had a severe profile, but beautiful gray eyes. Rin was her complete opposite – short and a little less slim, she was cute and vibrant – full of energy. She was the sweetest person you could meet.
Sango didn't mind – she just walked in right after Kagome and Rin. Kagura followed, with yet another sigh, though you could see a little smile playing on the corners of her lips as she glanced at a little kitten in a glass box next to her. The boxes were high, but open at the top so you could reach in and pet the animals. Kagome rushed towards the puppies and started petting one of them, cooing to it immediately. Kagura couldn't understand how a person could be so genuinely attached to an animal she'd never even seen before. She just stood at the door, waiting, while Rin and Kagome gushed over the small animals. Sango just walked around and stared at the fish tanks. She'd always had a thing for fish.
"Oh, he's so adorable…" Kagome whispered to Rin, while petting a small, white dog with fluffy hair. "I wish I could have him…"
Kagura had had enough, though, and she took Sango's hand to leave. Kagome and Rin followed suit, Kagome glancing back at the puppy.
"Kagome?" said girl heard her mother ask.
"Oh – uh – yes?" she felt bad about not listening to her own mother who was probably missing her a lot.
"Are you busy?" she could tell her mother was a little ticked off.
"No, not at all. Sorry. I'm listening."
"Right, so I was saying, Souta's girlfriend was over last night, and I went to bed before she left… so I'm a little worried that she spent the night. Do you think I should talk to him?"
"No, no, mama. I think Souta is old enough to know what to do in these situations." Besides, Kagome would be the first one he'd call if he had any questions.
After a few minutes of talking, Kama finally decided to hang up, because long distance calls were expensive, yet had time to give a million recommendations. "And if, you know, you meet someone," she'd said, and Kagome'd been surprised to think of the hottie she'd met on the beach just a little while before, "Be safe…okay?"
Kagome had blushed profusely and nodded, even though Kama couldn't see her. "I'm not like that," she had assured.
And now as she lay on the couch, petting a quiet-ish Fluffy, she remembered when she was laying on this same couch, just two days before, and Rin had burst in with him in her arms. "He's yours!" she'd yelled. She'd only gone out for aspirin as an excuse to buy Fluffy!
Kagome felt herself doze off for a few minutes, before she heard Sango open the door to her room and walk out. "Hey," she said, smiling.
"Mm," was Sango's answer. "Coffee," she said, walking to the kitchenette.
"Get me one, too!" Kagome called out.
Sango was back two minutes later with two cups of coffee. "Where were you?" she asked after taking a sip. "Did you go out to walk Fluffy?"
"Yeah," Kagome nodded, debating over telling her about the guy she'd met. She decided not to, since she didn't even know his name. "I watched the sunset, too. It's a really nice view from the beach."
They sat there in silence for a little while longer until Rin and Kagura woke up. "We're going to be late," Kagura said. "Sessh is waiting for us at ten thirty."
"I'm showering first!" Kagome said as she got up to go to the bathroom.
"How do people eat so late here, anyway?" Sango wondered aloud, searching the fridge for a little something to eat. She was starving.
"Don't eat now!" Rin castigated her as she took a glass of water. "You don't want to be full when you get there. What I've heard is that it's one of the best restaurants here."
"It is," Kagura confirmed as she walked back into her room, Rin tailing after her.
"What are you going to wear?" Sango asked from the living room, having a cookie. Sango and Kagura always borrowed each other's clothes, as they were both as tall and as slim.
"My black silk dress," Kagura answered quietly.
"Wow, I love that dress!" Rin said with a smile. Kagura really looked great in it. Who was she trying to impress?
"Do you need anything?" Kagura asked Sango.
"No, thanks. I'm going to wear my black skirt with that new purple top I bought yesterday," Sango answered.
Rin frowned, deciding what she'd decided to wear wasn't nearly fancy enough. "Kagome!" she called as she approached the bathroom. Kagome was done with her shower and was fixing her hair. "I'm borrowing your black stilettos!"
"But I wanted to wear them!" Kagome whined from behind the door.
They all argued for a little while before everyone eventually showered and agreed on something beautiful. As if either of them ever looked less than beautiful in anything.
AN:
Sweeties!
I hope you liked the first chapter… the next one is coming sooner than you'd think – I think I'm going to post it in a few minutes, haha. I wrote both but realized it was starting to get too long, so I cut them in half.
Translations:
(1): "This evening, in Paris, around Bastille, a 26-year-old woman was kidnapped –"