Author's Note: This week was completely insane so it was either post a new chapter before I go away on vacation for a week, or respond to all of you.
I figured you'd rather I updated. I'll respond to everything upon my return!
Pennies and Dimes
Part VII
Inuyasha possibly saw this as the greatest opportunity ever. Miroku and Sango were his best friends, but truly, this was the best payback imaginable. All of those times that the two of them were mushy and making gaga eyes at each other, this would give them a taste of their own medicine.
It was just a matter of getting Kagome on board.
So far the days at the cottage were going by with little trouble. Sango still glared at him occasionally, but more often than not she ignored the fact that he and Kagome shared a bed at night. It wasn't enough though. So when they were outside once more, playing in the snow completely wasted on far too much alcohol, Inuyasha didn't stop himself from jumping on Kagome and tackling her into the snow.
"You are drunk," Kagome said, giggling despite the snow that fell into her eyes. She squirmed a little beneath him, sighing when she realized she was trapped. "Let me up!"
"Not a chance," Inuyasha murmured. His golden eyes stared at her lips, unable to help himself. "You know, this would be a lot more fun if you weren't wearing anything."
"Can you two not have sex right here? I can hear you, you know!" Hachi complained, looking for all the world like he didn't want to be there. "Every demon in the vicinity can."
"Amen!" Hiten yelled.
"It's sickening," Manten added.
"I personally think it would be fun," Kikyo stated in that casual way she always did. "It would be like porn, only greater because we can join in if we want."
There was utter silence until Jakotsu screamed. "OH MY GOD SUIKOTSU, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO KIKYO?"
The very large dumping of snow on Inuyasha's back was probably the greatest mood killer there ever was.
"I know it's hard, but we are not having sex." Kagome was desperately trying to keep a firm grasp on her resolve. It was very, very difficult when Inuyasha was shamelessly grinding up against her in the very same closet where everyone's coats were. It was also very difficult because she was drunk, horny and trying not to be too loud because for some reason, the entire house was playing Hide and Seek: The Drunken Version.
"Why not?" Inuyasha whined quietly. He was pressing up behind her, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Kagome had no idea how they even got into this position. At first they were standing apart…then together…then they were on the floor…
Now she was in his lap?
Yes. Right.
Oh god, oh god, his hands were wandering up her shirt. That was not fair. "We can't have sex," Kagome murmured, but even to her own ears it sounded weak. "They're going to find us eventually and I don't want them to see us!"
"We really need to make you more of a voyeur," Inuyasha practically purred.
Kagome tried not to melt when his hand skimmed just underneath her bra, teasing along the edges. They weren't going to have sex. She was going to stop this. She was going to stop this.
His hand slipped under her bra and all of her good intentions flew away with the non-existent wind. Biting her lip to stifle her groan, Kagome's head fell back to lean against his shoulder. "That's so much better," the half-demon behind her mumbled, nipping at the back of her neck. "Although, I would so much rather doing this horizontally."
"Mm." It wasn't the most intelligent answer, but Inuyasha was sucking a bruise into her neck and she was helpless to stop it. Kagome knew she should, obviously. Of course, if her hips stopped grinding down into his lap, it would be a lot easier.
And then his hands grabbed at the button of her jeans. "Horizontal," she muttered, breathless. "Horizontal." She could practically feel the smirk against her skin. It probably should've been the first sign that things were going far too fast. The fact that Inuyasha was twisting them both around so that she could lie down on top of boots and discarded hats and gloves. There were coats about them swishing with every move they made.
It was probably loud. People probably heard them.
But oh god, his mouth was on top of hers and Kagome really just wanted to let the drunken rightness to this all sink in. She loved him and it was so much easier like this, hidden and not-so quiet despite their best intentions. No one had to know just yet, even though everyone did.
Was she making any sense? Kagome stared up at the coats while Inuyasha started to lightly nip at every exposed inch of her stomach. She probably wasn't.
"Shit," Inuyasha hissed, and it startled her instantly because it wasn't a horny 'shit' but rather a freaked the fuck out 'shit'.
…That sentence sounded strange.
Suddenly the half demon was lying completely on top of her, tugging at her shirt fruitlessly down to cover her while the doors to the closet opened. Kikyo and Kirara stood there, grinning.
"Kirara?" Kagome asked, looking up at the blonde woman stupidly. "When did you get here?"
"About an hour ago," she responded, eyes dancing. "But you were having too much fun finding a hiding spot to notice."
"Need more time?" Kikyo asked, looking so pleased with herself that she caught them two of them with their pants down. Figuratively, of course. Not literally. Not quite yet.
"Nope, we don't!" Kagome announced the exact same time Inuyasha stated, "please."
It sucked that his friend with benefits was being more of a friend right now.
Frankly, Inuyasha could've cared less. It was his dick that was complaining. Loudly.
"Our friends are right here," Kagome whispered harshly, directly in his ear. "We are trying to watch a movie, damn it."
"It's okay," Suikotsu murmured. "I'm sure no one will mind if you two leave us to have sex."
"I do!" Sango yelled, startling Miroku from the nap he had been having for the past twenty minutes. "Why the hell would you two rather have sex than spend time with us?"
Inuyasha was reaching the very end of his limits. "Sango, it's not personal but I really, really want to–"
"What are you saying?!" Kagome screeched, jumping a mile high off the couch. "No, you go over there in the corner."
Inuyasha simply stared at her in shock. "What?"
"I feel like I just missed something," Miroku mumbled sleepily. "What time is it even?"
"Two in the morning," Hachi replied, grumpily. He was glaring at everyone, probably for existing. The longer everyone was at his cottage, the more he seemed to want to lock them all outside in the cold. "Everyone should just go to bed."
"Yes, please," Inuyasha begged.
Kagome was looking at him with horror but when everyone started to head into their own rooms, she followed. Inuyasha started to strip the second the door shut, mostly because he wanted to see exactly how incredulous her face would become. "What was that about?" she hissed, crossing her arms and pointedly not undressing.
"We haven't actually had sex in forever," Inuyasha started.
"Four days."
"In four days." It was worse than he thought. "And you're right here, always, and it's driving me up the wall. I want you naked always."
Kagome just stared at him. For the first time, her expression was rather blank. "I'm not sure if that's creepy or if that's you attempting to be romantic."
"Romantic?" Inuyasha smirked, taking his boxers off and raising a brow. "Trust me, if I was being romantic, you would know it."
"I would, would I?" Kagome rolled her eyes. "I guess this is why we're–" She stopped herself, brown eyes growing almost comically large. Inuyasha didn't have a clue what she was about to say, but he wanted to know. It was almost cruel that she continued on. "You're distracting when you're completely naked."
"I know," he replied, a little too proud and then… Right. This was a diversion. "No, no, what were you going to say?"
"Say?" Kagome looked rather innocent, staring at him with those large eyes. She started to strip slowly, seductively. It was not fair. "Say what?"
"You said, and I quote, 'I guess this is why we're…'" Inuyasha blinked a little hazily when she started to take off her pants, shimmying a little to wiggle them over her hips. She even turned a little so that he could stare at her ass. He loved her ass. Distraction. "You never finished that sentence."
"I don't remember." Kagome smiled at him and started her approach, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So, bedtime? Maybe we can have a little bit of fun now that we're behind closed doors."
"Fun?" Inuyasha was almost angry that his dick was so quick to respond to that. "What kind of fun?"
"Hmm…" Kagome's smile turned wicked. It only got worse when she dropped to her knees.
"Jesus fuck," he whispered, staring up at the ceiling because holy shit, this woman was good. She was going to be the death of him.
In the end, Inuyasha never found out what Kagome was talking about. He was far too brain dead after the Best Blowjob Ever to really consider it.
Kagome did things like that to him. Somehow, he didn't mind one bit.
Sango and Kikyo were seconds away from being thrown out of the car. Kagome was sure of it because they were being annoying bitches about the whole thing.
"I couldn't really get a good look," Kikyo stated in that casual way she always did. "I mean, there was a sheet wrapped around him but he's definitely larger than average. He has to be."
Sango sighed. "That's a mental image I really didn't want. Kagome, can you just answer her so I don't have to jump into a vat of acid to rid myself of all this?"
"I am not discussing how big he is!" Kagome yelled, practically crying. She really didn't want to be driving at this moment. It gave her too much temptation to go off-roading and hopefully crash into a tree.
"AH HA!" Kikyo yelled, throwing her hands up in the air like it was a party. "So he is big!"
"Oh my god!" Kagome yelled. "Shut up!"
"OH MY GOD, MY EARS!" Sango screamed, doing something loud and probably dangerous in the back. She was the only one back there so it was possible she was attempting to tie the free seatbelt around her neck like a noose. Was it possible to kill yourself that way? Probably if Kagome hit a tree it would work.
"But, let's get serious here," Kikyo said a second later, pointedly ignoring Sango's wails in the back. "Did you see the way he looks at you? It's delicious. Almost like a mixture of eating you up and wishing to savour you always."
Kagome twitched.
Sango cried out that she'd never be able to eat again.
"No, honestly," Kikyo said, cutting through all of the crap. "Listen to me. He's into you, Kagome. You guys are dating, right? Like, you weren't before but now you are?"
"We're not dating." Kagome's grip on the steering wheel tightened fractionally. "It's still the same as it was." But it's not. They said things. It wasn't just about the sex, even though the sex was amazing.
"That's bull and you know it," Kikyo replied, glaring at her friend. "Tell me honestly: do you like him?"
"Clearly," Kagome replied, ignoring Sango's fake vomiting sounds. "I wouldn't be having sex with him all the time if I didn't."
Kikyo rolled her dark eyes. "No, do you like him? Do you want to be more than this…whatever you are?"
That was the harder question. Kagome shrugged, not really planning on answering. Kikyo stared at her roommate shrewdly, not buying it but realizing this was probably not the time. "It'll be better when we get back into routine," she said finally. "School always brings routine and that's always the best thing, I think. It might even be fun," Kikyo suggested. "Sango might actually bring Miroku to the house to have sex for once."
"Why would you drag me into this?" Sango asked. "Guys, come on!"
"I think it would be awesome!" Kikyo turned her head to grin at her friend in the back seat. "Imagine: a competition between the three of us for which of our men can make us scream the loudest. Inuyasha versus Miroku versus Suikotsu-slash-Jakotsu."
Sango might actually have been attempting to hang herself sideways.
"I think it's not fair that you get two men," Kagome replied bluntly.
"I think it's not fair you won't tell me how big of a dick your not-really-boyfriend has," Kikyo replied casually. "But that's life. It's shitty and never fair."
Sango's choking noises eventually ceased.
"Let me get this straight," Miroku started, glaring at Inuyasha. "You've had sex on a desk, in several closets, in a stairway, in her bedroom, in your bedroom, in our living room and our kitchen. You've had sex in her bathroom–"
"Why–"
"It still counts," Miroku cut in. "And you had sex in the shower, on various floors and other flat surfaces and…" Now he was practically sobbing. "Practically everywhere."
"Why are we discussing this?" Inuyasha finally asked, rolling his eyes. "I don't want to talk to you about this."
Miroku wiped a fake tear away. "My boy is all grown up."
"Jesus fucking Christ."
School did create a routine and Kagome was entirely grateful for it. She thrived on routine, mostly because it allowed her to book and plan and schedule everything. She was working more than usual to make up for her holiday break, but Kagome didn't mind talking guys off. It wasn't like she had a ton of homework right off the bat. The first two weeks were always the easiest.
Can I come over?
"Oh, yes, fuck me please," Kagome whispered, breath coming out hot and trembling while she fumbled with her cell phone. I work until five. Come around 5:15? Dinner?
"Take it, take it, take it," the man on the other end groaned.
Kagome rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling, wishing five o'clock could just finish already. "Give it all to me, baby. Come on, come on, fuck me harder."
At least when Inuyasha got there, she could have some fun. It would be nice to actually say "fuck me harder" and to actually then be fucked harder. It was the little things that mattered.
Not love though, nope not that. Kagome knew exactly what her thoughts were during the few days at the cottage. It was dumb to think that she loved Inuyasha because that wasn't possible. It wasn't. No matter what Kikyo pressed her to say, she and Inuyasha weren't an item. They were…whatever they were. More than friends with benefits but not quite boyfriend and girlfriend.
It was the little things that mattered, but fuck it if Kagome knew what the little things were.
Inuyasha smirked at his cell phone. Five-fifteen, really? It was ten minutes to five and he was already at her house, staring at her window. It seemed a little creepy but he wasn't sure what to do. Should he scale the wall and hope that she let him in when he knocked on her window, or would it be better to just go through the front door? Sango and Kikyo knew the secret now, so it wasn't much of a secret. It should be less of a problem.
Also, if he went through the front door, Kagome couldn't be so mad that he was early.
If Inuyasha had to think about it, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the reason he was early. The texting had been fine, but the moment Kagome mentioned that she was working… It sort of spiraled from there. It's not like he was stupid. He knew exactly what she did. Who the hell was he to say no? It's not like she actually had sex with them. She wasn't a stripper or prostitute.
She was a phone sex operator.
Inuyasha was still quite conflicted.
Knocking on the door, Inuyasha shoved his hands in his jean pockets and waited. His ears twitched at the sound of someone approaching – someone who was definitely not Kagome, probably not Sango. Kikyo looked surprised for all of two seconds before she schooled her features, a smug smile marring her expression.
"I knew it," she stated, rather pleased for unknown reasons. "Kagome's in her room upstairs. Have fun, Romeo."
It would be kind of crass to respond as smugly as she spoke to him, but he couldn't help the coy "thanks" that left his lips. He was just approaching the stairs when an intake of breath stopped him, Sango's big gaze focused on him.
"Why are you here?" Sango asked, partially whining. She buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I know this is getting old but it's really weird to realize that my one best friend is fucking my other best friend."
"You'll get used to it," Kikyo murmured consolingly, patting her roommate on the shoulder. "Just make sure you're quiet Inuyasha and she won't have a heart attack."
"Kikyo!"
Inuyasha held back a laugh as he raced upstairs, going directly to Kagome's door and opening it without knocking. Knocking would only give her a reason not to open up and he knew for a fact it would be unlocked. Kagome's horrified expression was almost on par with Sango's from earlier.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, hands grabbing at the headset. She looked pretty angry with him but Inuyasha let the smirk slide into place, his body advancing towards her on the bed. "I'm working!" she pointed out, rather unnecessarily.
"I've come to see you," he explained dumbly. The sound of the headset beeping had him tense fractionally before relaxing, trying not to be too pleased with Kagome's unhappy look. For some reason all of this was a joke. He was doing this to test boundaries and break limits. So far they hadn't had very many. This was one bound to crumble eventually.
"I have to take this," Kagome whispered. Her brown eyes were looking away at the now closed door, lips a tight line.
Maybe he had overstepped too far. When Inuyasha tilted her head to look at him, he saw a sort of fear in the brown depths. What was she scared of? Him freaking out? Inuyasha thought it was a distinct possibility, but he was a big boy. This job was a big deal for her because it was so flexible. Ruining it would destroy whatever the thing between them was. Instead of offering to leave like any sane person would, Inuyasha smirked and started to unbutton her blouse. "Sure, go and take it."
"What?" Kagome asked, looking startled.
His new plan in place, Inuyasha pushed away the offending piece of clothing and snapped off her bra, far too pleased at the flush that now stained her cheeks. "Aren't you going to answer it? I thought that was your job?"
Kagome pressed the headset and spoke some rather brisk words into the mouthpiece. Inuyasha paid absolutely no attention to it, focusing on sucking a bruise into her neck that people would be able to see for days, no matter what shirt she wore. It pleased him considerably when Kagome's voice sounded breathier than normal, some spiel about Yura falling from her mouth. Inuyasha let his hands roam the familiar territory of her body, claws soothing down her sides only for his teeth to nip at her collarbone. Kagome was only talking at this point about…about some sort of crime? Her voice sounded huskier even to his own ears and Inuyasha continued his focused attack on the upper half of her body.
It was clear the conversation had started to turn sexual, so Inuyasha smirked at Kagome before licking at her exposed nipple, watching the nub shrink at the cool air. His left hand toyed with the breast while his mouth encircled the other, sucking hard with just a hint of teeth. Kagome's moan was not at all fake and despite what the conversation could be about, everything she was doing was for him. Her hips were canting upwards, desperate for friction. Inuyasha wanted so badly to press down on her, to get some friction on his straining dick that wanted a shitload of attention right the fuck now. But it wasn't about him, not just yet, so he continued to suck and to toy, making Kagome shift and squirm and bury her hands in his silver hair.
"Oh god," Kagome whispered, almost like a prayer. "You'll fuck me, won't you? Please say you will. Please."
It was just so hard to say no to her.
His hands tugged at the button of her jeans, lowering the zipper and soothing his hands over new, warm skin. He pulled at the band, rising from her only so that he could take off her jeans and underwear in one shot. The moment she was free her legs circled around his waist, tugging him closer like she was desperate for it. Kagome's dark brown eyes were almost black, her body arching towards him like she was desperate for his touch.
It always amazed the hell out of him that no matter how many times they did this, Kagome was always so breathtaking, that she was always so eager and perfect and his.
The first press of his fingers inside of her was enough to make him crumble. She was so hot inside, wet from all of the teasing. Her moans were breathy and she was mumbling words that he didn't even care for. Her legs were still trying to pull him closer, pull him on top of her, and it was only his need to draw this out and make her scream that had him resisting. He curled his fingers inside of her, again and again until her hips followed with the movement. Inuyasha paused to listen to the desperate, high-pitched whine she made when he stopped. She glared at him while she spoke more filthy words into the headset, but her hips started moving on their own. Kagome was fucking herself on his fingers and it was by far the hottest thing he would ever watch, no matter how many times it happened.
"Just fuck me already, will you?" Kagome cried out, her hands scrambling to grab his shoulders as if she was speaking directly to him. Maybe she was, he couldn't tell, but Inuyasha was too pent up to resist now anyways. He removed his jeans and slid off the bed to shed them, hating the distance required to make stripping that much easier. He reached into the nightstand and grabbed a condom, wasting no time in opening the packet and rolling it on. Returning to the V of her legs, Inuyasha couldn't help but push three fingers inside of her, just to feel again, just to see what she'd do.
Kagome threw her head back and groaned. It sounded a little off, like she was extending it purposefully. It wasn't until she started sprouting words about how good the sex was that Inuyasha smirked, the tip of his cock teasing at the entrance just to see how her breath would catch. When the headset was pressed and roughly taken off, Kagome glared at him. "How could you–"
At that precise moment, Inuyasha grabbed her hips and slid right in, letting out a groan that was probably far too loud. He couldn't care less though in the moment, too riled up on the way Kagome was flushed and begging for him. He was going to come far too soon at this rate so Inuyasha stopped and leaned over her, kissing the valley between her breasts until he could reach her lips.
"You're infuriating," Kagome said, although with the way she practically preened at his half-thrust, he didn't take it to heart.
"You've said that a lot of times," Inuyasha replied steadily. He could tell from the look on her face that she hated how normal he sounded in comparison. "It doesn't seem to change your mind."
"There are other things to consider," Kagome explained, letting her hands roam along his shoulders and arms, fingers dipping in the grooves of muscle. "Your mouth isn't the only good feature."
He gave a lazy thrust to prove a point, smirking at the way Kagome arched into him, tightened her legs around him. "I've wanted to fuck you for days. The cottage was the biggest tease of my life."
"Have to keep you begging for more somehow," Kagome answered, smiling up at him. Her hands toyed with his ears, rubbing at the soft fuzz of fur. "I like you begging."
If she kept doing that, he was going to be doing a lot more than begging. Inuyasha shuddered bodily, head dropping down so that she could rub them some more. His hips did lazy circles and thrusts, just enough to keep the edge there without making this end far too soon, far too fast.
Kagome pressed up, her lips suddenly only an inch away from his ears as she whispered, "can I make you beg?"
"Fuck yes," Inuyasha replied, looking back up at her. It was his turn now to sound desperate and wrecked, and the most he could do was roll when Kagome prompted him too. Her legs tightened around his body as she straddled him, hands falling to his quads. The arch of her back made her breasts stick out, her hips lift, and Inuyasha was definitely in love now if he hadn't been before.
He had been before, but that wasn't entirely the point. Inuyasha tried very hard not to think about it.
When Kagome started to push on his legs to leverage up her hips, all Inuyasha could do was hold on and watch while she practically danced on his cock. It was almost worse, like this, because he couldn't control the movement, couldn't stop her from doing wonderful, wonderful things to him. He wasn't going to last, not like his, so he reached down to play with her clit, making Kagome force out a cry from the touch alone.
Jesus Christ, she was going to kill him.
His climax was practically blinding, his hands gripping her so tightly that Kagome couldn't escape even if she tried. He pushed up into her, helpless thrusts only because there was no possible way for him to bury himself deeper.
Inuyasha was almost embarrassed to say that it took him several minutes to get any sort of higher brain power to function again.
"So," Kagome started, far too casual, "that was interesting."
"Right." It probably wasn't at all what she was trying to get at, or even an answer remotely suitable to follow up to the statement. Right now, Inuyasha couldn't give a flying fuck.
"Does it…bother you?"
Inuyasha stifled a groan as he rolled to face Kagome, who was lying on her side, studiously not touching him anymore. He wanted to bridge that gap, to pull her flush against his body because anything else was just wrong. Inuyasha could tell from the look on her face that the action wouldn't be received well at the moment. "Does what bother me?" he asked, making sure he had the facts correct.
"Me…working." Kagome's dark brown eyes stared at him, her bottom lip curling in as if to worry it.
"As a phone sex operator."
"Obviously. I don't exactly spend my Thursday nights at a street corner or anything."
Inuyasha couldn't help the short puff of laughter. Maybe he accidentally killed a few brain cells with that last orgasm. "It doesn't bother me, per se. It also wouldn't bother me if you quit, either." At Kagome's relatively alarmed look he continued on, finally reaching out to touch her arm. "That's not it. I'm not asking you to quit. I get it, okay? I get what this job means to you. I get that it helps your family out and helps you get by on a weekly basis. I would never ask you to stop just because I'm a little jealous that other men get to hear you whisper filthy things. It's a me thing. Not a you thing."
Kagome cuddled up to him all on her own, pressing her naked body to his and draping her legs over him like a leech. "You're jealous?"
"I'm sorry, what was that display back there?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically. "It's different though. I know you don't get anything out of it. I know for a fact that you do your homework when you tell a guy to fuck you harder. It's not a big deal. Will I possibly maul you the day you're able to quit and fuck you so good that you can't walk straight for a week after? Absolutely. Am I ever going to ask you to quit because I'm your boy…whatever? No."
For a long second, Inuyasha remained incredibly still. He had been only milliseconds away from calling himself her boyfriend. It was on the tip of his tongue, barely held back. That's what he wanted, anyways. That's what his goal was.
Sometime. If he ever got the nerve.
He had tried once and it had not been particularly successful.
"You're a fantastic boy-whatever," Kagome murmured into his skin, closing her eyes. "Nap?"
The tension drained out of his body all at once because she got it. She understood. "Yeah, a nap sounds pretty fucking awesome, actually."
"Trust school to do that to you."
"Trust a horny girl-whatever to do that to you."
Kagome smiled and Inuyasha tightened his arms around her.
So far, she had been having the most excellent kind of night. Work had been during the day so she got a lot of her homework done during and in between calls. Inuyasha had sent her at text about dinner and so all bundled up, she waited for him to pick her up from the house so that they could go to a restaurant and enjoy some time out. Now it was nearing midnight and she was home. Her hair was a mess but that was okay because she had just spent the past twenty minutes making out on her porch with Inuyasha, who was just– He was just–
"Kagome, you're home!"
It wasn't unusual for Kikyo to call her out the moment she stepped in the door, but Kagome had known her roommate for a long time. The voice she was using was sultry and smooth, and it was the voice she used when she was picking up guys. The thought immediately threw up alarms so Kagome waited, slowly taking off her boots and unzipping her jacket. "Hi," she called back, somewhat awkwardly after such a long pause. "What's up?"
"I'm trying not to panic," Kikyo went on. "I think Sango is going to kill me."
Narrowing her eyes, Kagome finally stepped from the front entrance and followed her friend's voice into the living room. Kikyo stood in the doorway, smiling at her strangely. "Now you're just acting creepy."
"It's for a good reason," Sango stated from behind, and Kagome whirled around because what the hell was going on? "Nope, no, you are not getting out of this," she continued, grabbing her arms and practically dragging her onto the couch. "You are going to sit here and listen to us."
There was a banner that read intervention hanging haphazardly over the television.
What the hell.
"It's for you own good," Kikyo added, unnecessarily because Sango had mostly said the same thing. While Sango manhandled Kagome to the couch, Kikyo clapped her hands together and smiled serenely.
"I don't have a clue what this is about," Kagome said, looking around the room to see if there was anyone else or if there were other exciting 'intervention' decorations, but there weren't any. It was just the three of them, with an awkward banner that was clearly made on taped up sheets of eleven-by-eight-inch paper. "I'm not doing drugs and I drink significantly less than you do Kikyo."
Sango snorted rather ungracefully. "That's not what this is about."
"We want to talk about your love life," Kikyo continued, looking somber. "We need you to stop with the whole gaga eyes and blushing cheeks, unless you get your shit together and just tell him already."
Sango nodded her head. "And we love you."
Rolling her eyes, Kikyo sighed. "This is why I didn't want to have the banner. It gives us expectations to follow."
Simply blinking, Kagome didn't know what to say.
Apparently, her friends felt compelled to fill the silence until she did. "Inuyasha is clearly into you," Sango stated, making a face while she did so. "A lot. He's all happy and cheerful – which is frankly a bit disturbing – but it's a good thing."
"And you already have a fantastic sex life." Kikyo grinned. "I'm totally jealous, by the way."
"So...you're sitting me down to tell me to…ask him out?" Kagome scrunched up her face, shaking her head. "You can't be serious."
"Oh god, don't tell me you don't like him anymore!" Kikyo yelled, brown eyes wide. "I know sometimes that the chase is better than the catch, but you guys are so cute!"
"What? No! No, that's not it. Just…we were never supposed to be a thing." Kagome sighed and ran a hand over her face. "But we are thing, kind of. I think. We're exclusive? Probably."
Shoving her friend over, Sango sat down beside Kagome on the couch. "Trust me, his sex life wasn't anything exciting before but you're definitely exclusive."
"But they haven't said they were exclusive," Kikyo pointed out, "and that's the problem. You two need to get your shit together. What's holding you back? You obviously love him."
"Whoa," Kagome exclaimed, at the same time that Sango screeched a little. Neither of them seemed upset by the comment but Kagome looked a little thrown. "You can't just drop that!"
Kikyo raised a brow at Kagome.
"We're not even technically dating. How can I tell him that I probably-mostly-definitely have intense feelings for him?" she whined.
"Probably-mostly-definitely love him," Sango corrected. "Try that again."
For the first time, Kagome looked on at her friends with a desperation neither had seen on her face for a long time. The raven-haired woman tilted her head back so that it fell to the couch, eyes closing. "It's not supposed to be love. You're supposed to see that person and be attracted, yes, but you're supposed to get to know each other slowly through dating or whatever and then graduate to crazy sex and then fall in love. We – we definitely – did not do that."
Sango looked at Kikyo. "She's being dumb."
"Says the girl who had that happen to her exactly like that!" Kagome complained. "You and Miroku were friends, but you liked him and then eventually you guys started dating and soon you'll have sex and fall in love. Or you'll fall in love first and then have sex. See? I'm not wrong!"
"But you're really not right, either," Kikyo pointed out, sitting down on the armrest of the couch since Sango was hogging most of it. "I've been in love several times now. It's a fucking pain in the ass, is what it is. Falling in love is not the big romantic crap you read in books or see in movies. The first guy I fell in love with was the guy I lost my virginity to, but I fell in love first, didn't wait and got left pretty much right after. I literally took the statement 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' and applied it to my physical being. My second love was a really nice guy, but we didn't work out because I lost that spark of attraction over time."
Kagome frowned at her friend, poking her gently. "I don't remember you dating anyone for a long period of time."
"I don't advertise it," Kikyo responded with a shrug. "I let you see the threesomes and one night stands because those don't mean anything to me. I keep my heart in my chest, thank you very much."
"Do you love him?" Sango asked, stealing the attention away momentarily. She nudged her shoulder gently against Kagome's, giving a small smile. "Do you actually, because if you don't, then we can still figure it out."
Groaning out loud, Kagome buried her face in her hands and nodded. "It's pretty painfully obvious. I'm like a pre-teen gaggling over Justin Bieber."
"And thank god for that," Sango commented, letting out a sigh of relief. "I would've stuck by your side, but honestly I would've strangled you if you didn't love him."
"Nice," Kikyo said, shaking her head at her friend. "Keeping the friendship strong."
"What do I do?" Kagome asked, her voice slightly muffled. "I mean, should I ask him out? It seems dumb, because we have sex literally all the time. It's like we're demoting ourselves."
"You don't have to take the sex away, do you?" Sango asked, shrugging. "I'm not exactly an expert."
There was a minute of silence while the three contemplated the question. Kagome kept her head buried while Sango examined the banner and Kikyo stared at the blank television.
"I don't know what to do," Kagome finally said.
"I'm lousy at this," Sango added.
Kikyo couldn't just say nothing. "Seriously, how much sex do you guys actually have? And how does it vary? Like are you a die-hard missionary or do you guys like to tango a little?"
She really should have just said nothing.
"You can be worse than Miroku, you know that right?" Sango asked, laughing and standing up. "I think this calls for an ice cream conference. Are you all with me?"
When she left the room, Kagome grinned at Kikyo and shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I've never been in his presence and not had sex with him sometime during it." She paused. "Is that even healthy?"
Kikyo sighed, looking put upon. "It sounds fucking swell to me. I wouldn't complain because that probably just means he'll need Viagra a hell of a lot sooner."
"I heard that!" Sango yelled from the kitchen. "Get in here and eat this ice cream with me so I don't feel completely and totally fat! For the love of god, you two!"
"She's going to die a virgin," Kikyo concluded in a whisper before leaving the living room in search of chocolate goodness. Kagome followed, because where Inuyasha and feelings were involved, chocolate was the only way to go.
Responses to Anon Reviewers:
Guest: You are incredibly correct, Sango definitely needs to chill. I, apparently, gave her absolutely none when I wrote this. Ohhhh welllllll.
Guest: Thank you so much love! Glad you're enjoying the story :D It's almost over!
Guest: Kikyo and Souta truly deserve all of the awards! Sango… Gets a little explained but she's still being a little psycho. What can you do?
Mal: You're right. It's not always easy to understand another person. I think stories (in general, published or FanFiction or anything) love to overdo it – and trust me, I'm certainly one of them. It's such a trope, obliviousness or misunderstandings. It's a love/hate relationship haha. Thank you so much love!
Wolfsmaid: Woo! Thank you so much dear! I'm so happy you loved the last chapter. Hopefully you liked this one too. The ending is almost here!
ThatGirl: I think I try to make up to Kikyo how awful some people write her. So I try to make her super cool, the kind of chick I'd want to hang out with. So happy you loved this, darling. I adore you!
Xo: Aw shucks. Thanks so much love :)
Next chapter is THE END. Feedback is love.
