Love's Smirking Revenge
Chapter 7
- The Sound of One Hand Slapping -
It'd been two weeks. Two weeks of scanning page six for scathing articles. Two weeks of casually strolling past the Asahi Shimbun building hoping to catch a glance of her. Two weeks of wondering when and if he'd ever hear from her again. Sure, he could've just strolled up to her apartment, knocked on her door and apologized just as casual as you please, but he'd shoot his left foot off before he ever did that.
He couldn't understand why it bothered him so much, not hearing from her that is. It wasn't like they were together. He definitely wasn't interested. Not even remotely. Though that thought offered him little comfort when he lay awake staring at the ceiling after another racy dream.
He couldn't get her out of his head and it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. He'd done everything from cold showers to aversion therapy to forget about her but it just wasn't happening. Somehow, without his ever realizing it, she'd sunk her talons into him and was refusing to let go. This was exactly why he didn't date. Women were all the same - expensive, annoying and definitely more trouble than they were worth.
It was with that resounding thought that the Detective swallowed the last of his acrid smelling coffee. He grimaced at the feel of coffee grinds slipping down his throat and set the cup on its cheap china saucer. The waitress looked over and he motioned for a refill. He had to sober up a little before heading in to work. Drinking like a fish - that'd been another method he'd tried but it hadn't worked a jot. Actually, he was pretty certain that drinking seemed to make it worse.
While waiting for the coffee he stared pensively out the window at the steps leading up to the Asahi Shimbun building. People in expensive suits carrying leather briefcases and overflowing with self-importance strutted up the stairs, while a steady stream of shabbier looking folk trailed down them. Informants. Every paper had its retinue of low life scum who would hawk their stories for whatever they could get. The right these people had to anonymity pissed him off to no end. Every time he'd get a half decent lead it always ended with the same old line – "I'm not at liberty to reveal my sources." Keh!
His eyes lingered on the stairs, studying the bodies walking in and out. She's not there. The errant thought slipped out without his permission and he felt his mood sour. It wasn't like he was looking for her or anything. It was merely coincidence that he decided to stop in at the only shop in Tokyo that served burnt coffee at 7 AM. The fact that it was located directly across from where she worked had absolutely nothing to do with it.
He moodily watched the waitress pour him another cup of the steaming bitter brew. She offered him a sympathetic smile as she eased the bill onto the table, slipping it beneath the edge of the saucer. He gave her a cold look and she quickly scampered away to clean tables on the other side of the restaurant.
Glancing at the total he snorted and threw a 1000 yen note down onto the table. 400 yen for a cup of coffee was practically highway robbery! Damn Americans and their damn expensive coffee…
His body froze in the middle of shoving his overstuffed walled into his back pocket when he caught sight of a familiar face across the street. It was her. She was strolling down the stairs of the news building with a warm smile on her lips, dressed in turquoise sweater and black skirt that hugged her in all the right places. She looked incredible.
The Detective swallowed hard and eased his body down onto the imitation leather bench seat. He wanted to look away but his eyes refused. He'd tried to convince himself that there was nothing special about her, nothing to her looks that made her worth thinking about, but he'd just proven himself entirely wrong. Her smile lit up her entire face and it was with a hint of regret that he realized she'd never smiled that way around him.
He saw her wave to someone at the bottom of the stairs and leaned forward, curious to see who it was. There were just too many people milling about for him to see clearly and he 'tsk'd in frustration. Who could she possibly be meeting this early in the morning? An informant? It had to be an informant. He pushed the nagging voice that asked why he cared out of his head while his eyes remained stubbornly glued to the scene across the street.
His chest tightened when she began walking down the sidewalk in his direction, arm in arm with someone else. She laughed flirtatiously at something they said and brushed a handful of windswept hair behind her ear. The bitter wave of jealousy that washed over him was entirely unexpected and he found himself digging his claws into the seat just to ride it out. How dare she throw herself all over someone else like that?
Wait… What are you thinking? You haven't laid any claim on her. You haven't even fucked her yet!
Shut up! Leave me alone!
The war between the two halves of his mind came to an abrupt halt the moment the crowd parted and he caught sight of her date. He couldn't stop the growl that rose up from his throat. The patrons close enough to hear it cowered in their seat and stared at him wide-eyed. Ignoring the smell of anxiety that suddenly permeated the area around him, the Detective angrily shoved his arms into his leather jacket and downed what was left of his coffee in one swift gulp.
He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do. He just knew that whatever it was he'd have to act soon. She could've had her choice of any guy in this city – why the hell did it have to be HIM?
xXx
Kagome laughed brightly at her date's joke and took a delicate sip of tea from the warm cup between her hands. As she listened to him place their breakfast order with the waitress she couldn't stop her eyes from travelling over the contours of his face. With his dark colouring and flawless olive complexion he was certainly attractive in his own way.
He's the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, she reminded herself. If that's true, then why can't I convince myself to like him? The question hung heavy on her mind and she took another sip of tea to hide her frown. He was charming, smart, successful and attractive. He was all the things she told herself she wanted in a man, and yet there was no spark. Her heart didn't flutter when he shot her that charismatic grin and the compliments he laid at her feet couldn't even bring the slightest blush to her cheeks. As much as she hated to admit it, the only one who could stir those feelings within her was the Detective.
The loud mouth, arrogant, sloppy and completely insensitive Detective (who was completely wrong for her in every way) had occupied her mind no less than every waking hour for the past two weeks. After that stunt he'd pulled in the elevator she'd thought that maybe he would've had the decency to at least apologize or call, but so far she hadn't heard a peep.
Well if he thinks I'm just going to give in and go see him…
Crossing her arms over her chest she glared menacingly at the table.
"Higurashi? Is something wrong?"
Glancing up at her date's confused and slightly troubled expression, she quickly shook her head she laughed lightly. "Oh don't worry about me, I'm just a little chilly," she lied with a false smile and pointedly rubbed her arms .
Without hesitating he snatched his coat from the stand and carefully draped it over her shoulders. She pulled it in close to her body as he settled himself across from her. The jacket still held his warmth and it felt comforting wrapped around her, almost like a hug. It reminded her of how the Detective's arms had felt. They'd been warm too; warm and powerful and perfectly safe...
He'd reacted to her touch so readily, so willingly. It was intoxicating to hold that much power over someone, particularly a man like him who liked to assert his dominance at every opportunity. It'd been difficult delving back into the world of normal dates and monotonous work days.
This is what a normal date is supposed to feel like, she reminded herself for what felt like the tenth time. But normal is so boring!
It was true. Her date, or dates rather, with the Detective had been anything but conventional but she never would've called them boring. For all of his griping, huffing and snarky remarks he'd actually been intriguing. She wanted to know more about his life, about what made him tick, what drove him to wake up each morning. He seemed complex, like a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, and she was itching to get her hands on it. She wanted to know him, to understand him on levels she'd never thought to dig to. But he hadn't called and he wouldn't call. She knew that, and yet she continued to delude herself into hoping that perhaps today would be the day he'd show up at her office.
For the past two weeks every day had been a battle against her stubborn pride and bruised ego. She was tempted to write another scathing article about him to lure him out of hiding, but her fingers refused to type the words. She was angry at him, hurt that he'd literally dumped her in such a careless way, and yet she couldn't bring herself to hurt him back. After hearing what he'd gone through with Kikyo, knowing what his life was like as he continued in his struggle to find her killer, she was forced to pity him. She couldn't hate him because she empathised with his situation, knowing all too well what it felt like to have someone you love ripped away from you.
The silence was what'd bothered her most. It made time slow to a crawl so that each agonizing minute felt like an hour and each hour a day. She'd waited three whole hours in that elevator for him to say something to her but he hadn't uttered a word. No 'I'm sorry', no 'we can't do this', he hadn't even cursed at her. He'd just been silent. They'd been the longest three hours of her life and they'd slowly turned into the longest two weeks of her life.
As breakfast arrived she stared down at her plate of rolled egg and fresh fruit only to realize that she had absolutely no appetite. Shooting her date a delighted smile she picked up her fork and pressed it into a ripe strawberry. Once he bowed his head to his own meal she let her smile fade and thoughtfully bit into the slightly bitter fruit.
Today was the day when all of it had to end. She couldn't go on like this anymore, waiting for him to call, glancing up every two minutes at the doors of her office in the hopes of seeing him standing on the other side. It was ridiculous and a complete waste of time. After today she wasn't going to do it anymore - that was it. Goodbye, Detective Takahashi! Well…tomorrow hadn't arrived yet. She still had time to find out whatever she could about his secrets before she gave up on him forever.
"Say Koga," she began sweetly, looking up from where she was playing with her slowly cooling eggs. He glanced up at her, his mouth full of hash brown and nodded his head. "How well do you know Detective Takahashi?"
He cocked an eyebrow at her question and she averted her gaze back down to her plate, hoping he couldn't see the blush that'd risen to her cheeks. He took a sip from his coffee cup before answering and she noticed the funny way the grease on his fingertips left perfectly circular impressions against the pristine white china.
"You mean mutt face? I know him as well as I need to. Why do you wanna know about him?" His cobalt eyes flashed with curiosity as he fixed his gaze on her. Kagome twirled her fork between her fingers as she carefully planned her next words. She wanted to find out as much as she could about him without making it too obvious she was digging.
"He and I are working together on a case and I like to know as much as I can about my colleagues before we start a project together," she lied again. It was so easy to lie to him. "What can you tell me about the Detective?"
He gave her an indifferent shrug and shovelled a fork full of egg into his mouth. "You've met him. He's arrogant, rude, brash, he doesn't think before he says anything, he's completely inconsiderate of everyone else around him and he's about as loyal as they come."
Kagome looked up in surprise. Wait…was that a compliment? Everything else she knew already, but Takahashi…loyal? That was something new.
Seeing her surprise Koga put his fork down, realizing that some explanation was probably in order. "Look, Takahashi has himself his own set of problems. He's not perfect, hell none of us are, but he's not really a bad guy. I just like to bust his balls and he does the same to me." He shrugged his shoulders lightly and took a perfunctory sip of coffee.
"It's a mutual love-hate thing. He may be a little unorthodox but I can tell ya one thing for sure, if I was ever taking fire he's the only one I'd trust to cover my back."
Kagome nodded thoughtfully and mulled over this new impression of the Detective. Koga seemed to have a decent head on his shoulders. If what he was saying was even partially true then perhaps the Detective wasn't such a waste of space after all. That still didn't change the fact she hadn't heard from him, or that he'd gotten her hot and heavy in the elevator and then dumped her unceremoniously on the floor. He was still a thoughtless jerk, but now he was a loyal one. Great!
"So he saved your life did he?" she interjected, without missing a beat.
Koga shrugged one shoulder up in a hapless gesture and a wry smile came to his lips. "Yeah. I've still got the bullet in my shoulder to prove it. The stupid son-of-a-bitch stepped in and pushed me out of the way. Took a slug right to the chest." He took another sip of coffee and shook his head, his eyes darkening with distant memories.
"Being shot at that close of range, he must've been in pretty bad shape."
She was surprised by the way Koga smiled at her. It was the type of smile that said he knew something she didn't and she instantly wanted to know what it was.
"Something as small as a bullet couldn't take him down. You've gotta have a lot more firepower than that to knock off someone like him," he answered cryptically.
Kagome blinked at him in confusion. What the hell was he talking about? She'd felt Takahashi's body. He wasn't fitted with metal plating beneath his skin. He was just as human as everyone else! Being heroic was one thing, but thinking that you could stop a bullet with your body and live to tell about it was just plain stupid.
So he is an idiot after all…they're both idiots! she reasoned.
"What does he hide under that hat of his? A bullet proof vest?"
Koga shot her another knowing smile and seemed to chuckle to himself as he picked up his fork and piled it high with more egg.
"So that's what this is about. He hasn't told you yet, has he?"
Kagome's brows knit together, "Told me what? What are you talking about?"
"That he's a-"
Koga's words were cut short as he was wrenched up from his seat by his collar. With one fist twisted into Koga's shirt and the other ready to pound his face was one very angry looking Detective.
"Finish that sentence," he warned with a threatening growl, "and the next thing you eat will be my fist!"
"If you don't let go of my shirt you're gonna be missing a hand," Koga shot back through clenched teeth.
Kagome gaped at them both in shock. A quick glance at the maitre d' confirmed that he was halfway to calling the police. She shot him an imploring look and promised with a small shake of her head that she'd take care of it. The Detective was still uttering threats, completely oblivious to the scene he was creating.
Typical.
Bracing her hands against the table she stood and fixed the Detective with a glare that promised worlds of pain and suffering.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him.
You don't show your face for two weeks, you don't even CALL, but you have the nerve to come in here and disrupt MY date? Of all the inconsiderate, boorish, pig-headed…
He turned to her distractedly and practically snarled in her face, "Me? What the hell are you doing here with this flea bag?"
He looked at her as though she'd committed some kind of heinous crime by having breakfast with Koga. Not easily intimidated, she crossed her arms in front her chest and arched a contentious eyebrow at him. Whatever thoughts she'd had about the Detective possibly being a half decent guy were rapidly disappearing.
Koga took advantage of Inuyasha's momentary lapse in concentration and wrenched his shirt out of his grasp. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Straightening his collar he leveled a dangerous glare at him and balled his own hands into ready fists. Realizing that if she didn't step in soon there would be a full out brawl across her breakfast table, Kagome stepped between them, facing Koga since he seemed to be the more rational of the two.
Seeing that she was determined to beat some sense into the Detective herself he reluctantly nodded and backed away, settling himself once more at the table. Satisfied, she turned next to the Detective only to find that he looked ready to leap over her and throttle Koga where he sat. Gabbing hold of his arm she literally dragged him outside, making sure to shoot the waiter and everyone else apologetic looks as she did so. Hopefully they would just assume that he was some mentally disturbed relative. The way he acted she had to wonder if he wasn't one card short of a full deck.
Stepping out into the crisp morning air her body gave an involuntary shiver and she wished she hadn't left Koga's jacket back in the restaurant. Spying an alleyway close by, she guided the Detective inside with the intention of making her point short and sweet. Letting go of his arm she pushed him up against the brick wall. His eyes blazed with resentment even as she stared him down. He wasn't remorseful in the least. He didn't care that he'd ruined her breakfast, interrupted her date, and made a scene in front of an entire restaurant of people. He just didn't care. His eyes told her that loud and clear.
Her reaction was instinctive and had she thought about it for longer than a half-second she probably would've decided against it, but as it was she was too upset to think logically. She lashed out, slapping him hard across the face - hard enough that his head snapped to the side. The sharp sound of the slap echoed down the alleyway and she hastily stepped away from him. He was so unpredictable she couldn't even be sure if he wasn't the type of man to hit back.
Kagome watched anxiously as his hand came up and thoughtfully stroked at the slowly reddening handprint on his cheek. He turned to look at her and she was surprised to see that the anger that'd been brewing in his eyes was gone. He studied her in silence and she shifted anxiously under his gaze.
"You're strong for a girl," was all he said before gingerly shifting his jaw side to side to make sure everything was in place. Kagome threw her hands up in the air in frustration and took several paces back and forth in front of him.
"Seriously? That's all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say?" He leaned back against the wall and gave her an arrogant look. She was tempted to slap him again but had an inkling he probably wouldn't let her get away with it a second time. She heaved a frustrated sigh and scowled at him instead.
"An apology would be nice. How about a 'Hey Higurashi, sorry for ruining your breakfast date. I'm a complete asshole!' Or maybe 'Sorry you haven't heard from me in two weeks. I was abducted by the Russian mafia and only just escaped."
"Is that what you want me to tell you?"
"Oh you arrogant son-of-a-bitch! I hate you. I really hate you, you know that?"
Convinced that trying to get anywhere with him was a lost cause, she marched to the end of the alley and looked longingly down the street at the restaurant. She rubbed her arms through her sweater and shivered. As she stood there, debating whether to have at him some more or go back inside, she was surprised to feel the heavy weight of a jacket settle over her shoulders. Looking down her eyes widened as she realized that he'd put his jacket over her to keep her warm. She slowly turned towards him, her shoulders losing their rigidity. It was a peace offering. He wasn't going to apologize but he'd given her his jacket instead. She sighed inwardly.
Takahashi…just what the hell am I going to do with you?
"You didn't have to go to him. You could've asked me what you wanted to know," he said seriously. He rested his back against the aging brick wall and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans to keep them warm. He didn't look at her, keeping his golden orbs fixed on the small patch of blue sky above their heads instead.
"I tried that," she shot back. "You dumped me, literally, and went into hiding for two weeks."
He 'hmmed' at that and smirked, obviously finding something she'd said amusing. Kagome's eyes darkened as she envisioned him picturing the very moment he ungracefully tossed her to the floor in the elevator.
"Does it really matter?" He sounded defeated.
She nodded her head and took a hesitant step towards him. She subtly snuggled further into his jacket as she did so, eager to absorb what was left of his warmth. Dipping her head, she discretely took in the familiar scent of him mingled with the aroma of the leather. It was growing on her. At first she'd convinced herself that he reeked of booze and cigarettes, but now she knew better. In the elevator he'd smelled clean. The faint musk of his body had mixed with his Old Spice aftershave to create a pleasant scent that was entirely his own. His jacket smelled of it now, too.
As his scent swept into her nostrils an instant tingle ran down her spine until it ended in a warm pool between her thighs. Realizing her thoughts were drifting in the wrong direction she snapped her head up and waited for him to speak.
He was silent for a minute longer, debating the issue with himself. To trust her or not to trust her? Had she earned it yet? Deciding that it still wasn't the right time he slowly shook his head. "I can't tell you. Not yet. I need to know I can trust you first."
Kagome scoffed at the backhanded insult. Turning heel, she stalked back to the edge of the sidewalk.
"If you're thinking you'll just go and ask Koga you should probably know he won't tell you either. He knows better."
Kagome stopped in her tracks, her hands balled into tight, frustrated fists.
"You know, I've had nothing but problems since the day I met you! You disturb me at work, you interrupt my dates and constantly have me on edge. I've had enough. Can you please just stay out of my life?"
"Sure, no problem. There's nothing to keep me coming back anyways. But let's not forget that you inserted yourself into my life, not the other way around."
His words bit into her and she closed her eyes against the painful feeling that cut into her chest. If she didn't care about him why was this so hard? Why did it feel like she was making a huge mistake?
Slipping the jacket from her shoulders she discretely smelled it one last time before turning around and holding it out to him. He stalked towards her, stopping only when his face was within inches of hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath as it cascaded over the bridge of her nose. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around the jacket and took it from her grasp. His eyes never left hers as he pulled it out of her reach; they held her captive and she willingly fell into their molten gold depths.
She didn't realize he was leaning into her until his lips brushed featherlight over hers. One touch was all she needed. Rising up onto her tip-toes she fisted her hands in the material of his shirt and pulled him closer, melting at the familiar feeling of his lips against hers. Jacket still in hand, he brought his fist to the small of her back to pull her in closer and simultaneously snaked his fingers into her dark hair.
Holding her prisoner, he assaulted her lips until he felt the tension leave her shoulders. She let out a soft moan and wrapped her delicate hands around his neck to pull him down to her, pressing her body against his. When he finally pulled away for air his eyes took in the faint flush in her cheeks and committed the view to memory.
This was the right thing to do, or so he told himself over and over again. But if it was right, why did it feel so wrong? With a grim nod of his head he stepped out of her grasp and then stalked out of the alleyway, swinging his coat casually over his shoulder as he went.
Kagome stared after him in stunned silence. Her fingers slowly lifted to rest against her bruised lips and her tongue flicked out to lick at the remnants of his taste. As the fire in her veins slowly cooled she realized what he'd intentionally done to her for the second time. Narrowing her eyes at where he'd disappeared into the crowded street her hands balled into tight fists at her sides and she let out a growl of frustration.
Takahashi, you bastard!
